Legacies
by DJ Dubois
Summary: When Clark is exposed to an alien virus, Dave and his friends take a trip for the cure. (xover: Forever Knight, Xena, Smallville, Andromeda, Mutant X, Dark Angel)
1. Legacies Part 1

Legacies  
David J. Duncan  
November 2002

  
Notes: The characters from Forever Knight belong to Sony Tri-Star. The characters from Xena Warrior Princess belong to StudiosUSA and Renaissance Studios. The characters from Smallville belong to DC and the WB. The characters from Mutant X belong to Marvel and Tribune. The characters from Dark Angel and Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda belong to their respective copyright holders. All other characters are fictitious and of my own creation. Please send comments to dante0220@yahoo.com.  
  
Note 2: Spoilers: Smallville-through Redux.. Mutant X-through last Ashlocke eppie.   
  
Prologue  
[Amazon Village-83 AD]  
  
_ Gabrielle, Bard-Queen of the Amazons writes...._  
  
At times, it seems that situations arise one after the other to challenge us, force us to reevaluate ourselves by delving into the past, and redefine ourselves before we can proceed with things. Here in the Amazon village, the challenges of the past two years have forced us to take a hard look at our practices and ourselves. In the future, the newly discovered relationship between David and Karen strengthened instead of destroyed the bond between them and our friends. Now, Clark suffers an accident and the group must enlist aid from our allies aboard the Andromeda Ascendant.  
  
The journey to Clark's beginnings leaves much to be thought about and considered, especially for his classmates and relatives from Smallville. And it starts with a lack of caution around a space rock.  
  
  
Chapter 1 [Mogollion Rim-25 miles southeast of Flagstaff]  
  
A cold wind whipped through the pine forest on the rim. Unlike the southern deserts, this part of Arizona dealt with winter in all of its glory: ice, snow, and the wind chill.  
  
Despite these challenges, Dr. Herbert McLanden, a newly hired Astronomy professor, scouted through the woods along with his Astronomy 205 students. Just two days earlier, a meteor had fallen from space that, according to the US Geological Survey's initial reports, had some very unique properties and crystals imbedded in it. Accordingly, he organized a field trip for his class.  
  
On that Friday morning, the sky was gray, the wind blew steadily out of the north, and there was a good foot of snow on the ground. Most of the students, needless to say, didn't share their professor's enthusiasm for this project. They wanted to get the field notes for this assignment and get back on the bus for the warmth of the desert.  
  
Toward the back of the group, Chloe watched everyone and everything carefully. She had been on several such treks in the Kansas winter so this hike wasn't a new experience to her. The group had left before she could get her coffee-not a wise move for staying on her good side. I_t's colder here than in Kansas._ She shivered and saw her classmates doing the same. _ I know Adam likes to be cautious and asked me not to use my powers if I don't have to. Still, there's no use in freezing our tails off if it isn't necessary._  
  
"How are you doing, Chloe?" Clark wondered, tromping up behind her.  
  
_ He can use his abilities...well some of them._ She frowned. "It's freaking cold. I hope we find this meteor rock soon. Didn't we have enough of them at home?"  
  
He shook his head. _ The last thing we need right now is for me to run into green meteor rocks. Imagine how'd we explain that one to the group._ "We could use some heat, you know?"  
  
"Yeah. Don't remind me," she griped, glaring at him. "I'm freezing my ass off, no coffee, and snow up to my knees!"  
  
_ An uncaffeinated Chloe...Bad, bad, bad._ He scanned the woods with his x-ray vision, looking through the pine cover for signs of their target. "We're close."  
  
"Well, that's welcome news," the reporter sighed wearily. "Now I know how the early explorers must have felt like."  
  
He grinned and rubbed her shoulder. "Hey, just think of the story you'll get for _ The Wildcat_."  
  
She gave him a sideways glance and smirked at him. "Are you trying to cheer me up, Farm Boy?"  
  
He shrugged. "That...was the idea."  
  
"Good, because it's working," she assured him. "Thanks."  
  
"Don't mention it," he replied as they trudged forward.  
  
****  
  
About 30 minutes later, the group stood in front of the meteor. The space rock was about twenty feet across and three feet high. Its descent through the atmosphere had left it charred black. On its exterior, the group could see diamond-like crystals.  
  
McLanden investigated the rock, surveying its surface. The material felt smooth to the touch and flaked off in his hand. _ I'd love to take a core sample back with me._ "Can I have a volunteer to assist me please?"  
  
The students looked at each other anxiously. If the professor wanted to risk his neck in the name of science, that was one thing, asking them to do that without signed waivers and the fact that their health insurance didn't cover them on this trip was quite another.  
  
"Anyone?"  
  
"Dr. McLanden, we haven't signed any slips or anything," Chloe pointed out.  
  
"And-this is a class activity, you're covered," the professor assured her.  
  
"Not according to that insurance booklet. We shouldn't touch that thing. Who knows what it has inside of it? I think we should let a Forest service official know about this," she argued, knowing from experience what happened if one blundered into the Realm of the Weird unprepared.  
  
Her classmates nodded, stepping back as if to make their point known: they weren't touching it.  
  
"I've gone through the proper channels," he insisted. _ Well, I did notify them. Of course, the Feds will tell me to stay the Hell away. I can't take that chance. _ "We aren't leaving until one of you helps me get a sample." He pulled out the pick and bag.  
  
Clark rolled his eyes and looked at her. "What's the worst that can happen to me? I almost never got sick in Smallville." Leaning closer to her, he whispered, "I'm not going to let any of you get sick from this thing."   
  
Yeah, except where a certain red meteor was concerned. Three weeks earlier, under conditions of sworn secrecy, Pete had told her about why Clark had freaked out during their sophomore year. "You remember when you did? Clark, don't!"  
  
"I won't let any of you do it. Look, I'm fine," he assured her, stepping forward.  
  
Her eyes pleaded with him and the professor not to do it. Finally, the gaze shifted to the icy steel that cut into the latter's psyche. She was pissed and wanted him to know it.  
  
Clark accepted the pick from the professor. "Any specific place?"  
  
"No, just chip off a bit of stone and a crystal," the instructor told him.  
  
"All right," he agreed and struck the rock with the tool. A large fragment of the meteor dropped to the snow.  
  
"Great!" the professor exclaimed, rushing to bag it. "Clark, can you get another?"  
  
"Right," Clark agreed and set about his task. As he did so, his intuition told him not to go any farther.  
  
"Don't push your luck, Clark!" Chloe exclaimed. "Stop this!"  
  
"Dr. McLanden, I'm sorry. She's right," the farm boy agreed. "You have your sample. Can we go?"  
  
"Fine," the professor snapped, taking the pick and whacking the meteor again. As he did so, the action opened a pocket inside of the rock and released a cloud of purple gas into the air, right in Clark's face.  
  
_ Oh God.. _ "Clark, are you all right?" the professor asked, realizing he had gone too far.  
  
At that moment, the students turned and saw a snowmobile appear from the woods with a single rider. The person got off the sled and marched right up to the professor. "This is a restricted area. Why are you trespassing?"  
  
"I'm Dr. Herbert McLanden from the Astronomy Department in Tucson. We're here on a class field trip. Who are you?"  
  
The rider pulled off the helmet revealing herself as a Native American woman with jet-black hair and sculpted features. "I'm Ranger Penelope Sittingwolf. Were you the one who faxed us the request? It was denied, sir. You're here without authorization. Is everyone here all right?"  
  
The students nodded.  
  
Penelope looked at Clark who was rubbing his head and immediately recognized him. _ He's the alien Martin mentioned to me._ "And you are?"  
  
"Clark Kent, Ma' am," he replied, squinting. He staggered a bit.  
  
"Mr. Kent, are you all right?" the Ranger inquired.  
  
"I'm okay...just a bit dizzy is...all," he insisted, taking slow steps back toward the group. "See, Chloe? I...told..." With that, he fell face first into the powder covering the ground.  
  
"Clark!" she exclaimed with concern. Rolling him over, she could see his eyes bulging. He started to shake furiously. "No! Come on!" _ Nothing's supposed to hurt you. Come on, Farm Boy, snap out of it!_ She stared at the professor furiously, thinking up all sorts of obscenities and curses for the dimwitted man.   
  
Penelope rushed to his side. _ This is bad all right._ Looking at the reporter, she asked, "Do you have a cell phone? We need to get help."  
  
McLanden pulled out one and started dialing. "I'll call."  
  
"That's my job!" Penelope insisted. _ We can't let him go to a normal hospital._ "Miss, would you?"  
  
"I'll call Tucson," she told them, dialing numbers. _ Come on, Lana._  
  
  
  
Chapter 2  
  
[Campus, Economics Building]  
  
Unlike the conditions up north, the weather in the desert was warmer for the students on campus. As they reached mid-February, temperatures remained in the sixties and the sun shone.  
  
Even though they wished they could be outside, Lana and Miri sat in Eve's Intro to Religion class and scribbled away in their notebooks busily. Listening to her lecture on evangelism during Antiquity intrigued some students although some fought their boredom to get through the period. For the two mutants, knowing that Eve was Eli's former Messenger gave the session an ironic yet enjoyable twist.  
  
_ Talk about speaking from experience._ Lana mused to herself. _ Speaking of experiences, I wonder what Clark and Chloe are doing._ Her mind was split between there and the sudden class field trip involving her friends. _ I hope they're okay._  
  
At that moment, her cell phone began to vibrate. _ What?_ She leaned over and looked at the readout, trying to be discreet. _ Chloe? Why is she calling? She knows we're in class. _  
  
"Excuse me, Lana," Eve requested. "I'm trying to lecture...for at least the next ten minutes."  
  
"Right," the young woman agreed embarrassedly, putting the phone away.  
  
Then, it buzzed again. _ Chloe again? This has got to be serious.  
_   
"Dr. Messenger, I'm really sorry. Excuse me, please," Lana apologized, making her way from the room.  
  
Eve stared at the door before resuming her piece._ Something's wrong. Lana's too polite to make a scene like that._ Looking at Miri and getting no response other than a shrug, she started to wrap things up for that day.  
  
****  
  
Lana stopped outside of the building and hit the "Call Back" button on the phone. _ I hope everything's all right. _  
  
"Lana?" Chloe's voice wondered. "Thank God! We've got a really big problem!"  
  
"Chloe, what is it? Where's Clark? Can he help you?"  
  
"Lana, Clark is the problem. We found the meteor rock and well...the professor had him take a sample...."  
  
The former cheerleader's face went pale. _ No! With his history around those things, he should have known better!_ "What happened? I want to talk to him!"  
  
"You...can't..." her friend said with an air of regret. "He's in shock right now and I don't know how to contact you-know-who from here. Lana, he's getting worse...."  
  
Lana momentarily panicked before she got a grip on herself. "Hang on. I'm going to go find Professor Dubois. I'll call you back." Hanging up, she ran into the Social Sciences Building and to his office. Banging on his door, she called, "Professor? Are you there? It's urgent!"  
  
Across the hall, Lydia Coltrane stuck her head out of her own door. "Lana? What is it? He's in class at the moment." Seeing the other woman's concern and fear, she asked, "Has something happened?"  
  
Lana nodded, feeling the tears coming to her eyes. "I just got a call from my friend, Chloe....She's on a field trip with the Astronomy class and....Clark Kent just had a bad accident.... He's in shock."  
  
The professor nodded her head, recalling Dave's argument with McLanden just two days earlier. _ She's right. He'll want to know immediately._ "Come with me." Walking down the hall and up the stairs, they came to the classroom where Dave was lecturing.  
  
Knocking on the door, Lydia stuck her head in. "Excuse me, Dr. Dubois?"  
  
"Yes?" Dave asked.  
  
"Can I talk to you for a second? Department business," she stated.  
  
Scanning the hall, he detected Lana standing outside the door as well as her concern. _ Something's wrong here._ "Sure. Guys, I'll be right back." Walking out the door, he closed it and asked, "What's wrong?"  
  
"Lana has an emergency," Lydia told him. "Tell him what happened."  
  
"What's going on?" he queried her. Hearing a cell phone going off in the classroom, he ignored it, trying to focus on her.  
  
"You...know the field trip that Chloe and Clark are on?" she responded hesitantly.  
  
"Yes...to find the meteor. Right," he sighed, feeling a surge of anger. _ McLanden, if you've hurt those kids, so help me.... _  
  
"Well, they found it. The professor pushed the students to take a sample for him. Clark did it and something happened...."  
  
At that moment, Martin came out and closed the door. "Professor, excuse me. This is urgent."  
  
"Martin, we're dealing with an emergency here," Dave stated.  
  
"I trust that it has to do with Clark. My fiancé's the Forest Ranger assigned to the area. She's on the line right now."  
  
"Thank you and my apologies, Martin," Dave apologized, accepting the phone.  
  
"No problem," the shaman told him.  
  
"Hello, this is David Dubois," he answered.  
  
"Dr. Dubois, this is Penelope Sittingwolf. Umm...we have a situation here with one of your students," Penelope replied. "Clark Kent is not doing well. Your colleague, Dr. McLanden, wants to have him airlifted to Flagstaff and from what Martin has told me about your group, you don't want that, right?"  
  
"That's correct. Tell McLanden-hands off. I'll be up there ASAP to take charge. Nobody moves him. Can I speak to Chloe Sullivan, please? Thank you for calling Martin."  
  
"No problem. Glad to help. Here's Chloe," the Ranger signed off.  
  
"Professor Dubois? So what are you going to do?" Chloe asked.  
  
"Help Ranger Sittingwolf to stall Dr. McLanden. Lana and I will be up there in a few minutes. Can you folks get back to the bus?"  
  
"Yes. We'll do that. Can you get Adam and the others? Please hurry!" the reporter worried.  
  
Dave hung up and fought back a surge of anger. "Dr. Coltrane, I need a really big favor."  
  
"What's the topic?" she wondered, guessing at his request.  
  
"The Rise of Islam. Can you pick up after 732...take them to 1071?" he inquired.  
  
"Go! I'll handle it," she agreed, stepping into the classroom and shutting the door.  
  
"Martin, Lana, let's go!" he stated, conjuring up the mists and opening the portal. After whisking them through, he stepped into it, disappearing from view.  
  
****  
  
[Meteor site]  
  
McLanden paced nervously about the site wondering how everything could go wrong. The students were well on their way back to the bus for the most part. As the ranger guided them, Chloe had wrapped a heavy blanket around her friend and tended to him.  
  
"C'mon, Clark. You can't do this," she muttered. "What will I say to Lex, your folks, and Lana?"  
  
"We can still get him to the hospital, despite what that ranger thinks," the professor stated.  
  
"Listen-with all due respect, if it weren't for you insisting that we get your precious sample, he wouldn't be lying there right now, all right?" she snapped, her eyes blazing. "You broke the rules by having us here! Now, my friend's bad...really bad. Help is on the way and we are staying right here!"  
  
"Chloe, we need to..."  
  
"WHAT PART OF NO DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?" she bellowed.   
  
"What are they going to do-pop up out of thin air?" he ridiculed her, dialing his own phone.  
  
"You might be surprised!" she hissed, seeing the wisps of the familiar fog floating from behind her. "Professor Dubois?"  
  
"Right here!" Dave indicated, rushing out into the conditions. _ Shit, it's freezing. Can it, Dave. Clark needs help._  
  
"Clark!" Lana called, walking out after the professor along with Martin. Seeing him there, she hurried to her boyfriend's side. "Can we do something?"  
  
"Leave him alone, Dubois. He needs a hospital. Stand back. I just called for a chopper," McLanden directed.  
  
"He won't be here to take it. What were you doing here anyway?" Dave insisted.  
  
"Class field trip. This isn't your class, Dubois."  
  
Dave's eyes blazed as he stood up. "No, it isn't, McLanden. I know you don't like me, all right? But that doesn't excuse this whole mess. You better hope the authorization's in order."  
  
"We're up here without permission, aren't we?" Chloe accused.  
  
"Is that true?" Lana inquired. "Professor, how can he do that?"  
  
"He can't," Martin added, glaring at the Astronomy professor. "From what the Ranger told me on the phone back in Tucson, the request was denied."  
  
Dave quaked and his face went dark. "You actually broke Federal guidelines, not to mention state regulations and endangered student lives _ for this_?"  
  
"You've done it countless times, Dubois. Quit being so high and mighty...you freak," McLanden responded.  
  
Dave slammed his colleague into a pine tree and got right in his face. "I don't endanger my students, all right? I defend them against God knows what is out there. Listen up, McLanden, when we get back to Tucson, we're going before the board. Your ass is grass for this!"  
  
The other professor took a swing and connected, knocking Dave back. "Like you're going to make it back to your little bunch of freaks." Picking up the pick, he advanced.  
  
"I don't have time for this shit!" the medievalist growled, slamming his would-be attacker with a mental pulse. "Sleep it off, Asshole."  
  
By this point, Penelope had returned. "Is he...? I saw him attack you."  
  
"Can you keep him under guard?" Martin requested. "We need to get Clark to Sanctuary."  
  
"Absolutely. Take care, my love," she agreed, kissing him.  
  
He smiled warmly as Dave willed up the mists. Taking Clark's feet and allowing the ladies to take an arm apiece, he followed them into the fog.  
  
She watched as the mists dissipated on the breeze. Looking at her dazed prisoner, she shook her head. _ May the Great Spirit guide you and protect Clark._   
  
  
  
Chapter 3 [New Sanctuary]  
  
Even as the situation developed at the meteor site, Adam stood in front of the computer scanning the readouts from the latest scans. The woman on the bio bed, Diana Bradley, remained a unique new mutant because she was a psionic-elemental hybrid who could manipulate time. Recently, she had helped the team to deal with a situation concerning Genomex in the past. However, she still remained reluctant to use her powers due to the time she had spent with the Strand.  
  
_ She's a marvel. Is there any end to the unique manifestations that these mutations take?_ He allowed these thoughts to circulate through his head as he turned back to her. "Everything checks out. You're in excellent shape, Diana."  
  
"Tell me again why I had to do that?" she wondered truculently. Unlike most of her mutant counterparts, she didn't like her powers and would have liked to be rid of them.  
  
"I had to make sure that you aren't degenerating the way Ashlocke did. His situation made him unstable and well...you saw what happened."  
  
She shuddered, recalling how the super mutant had abused her and the other Strand members. We thought he loved us. He was controlling us. Now, Adam wants to do the same. Should I trust him? "Adam, can I ask you a question?"  
  
He smiled. "Sure. What is it?"  
  
"How can you trust me? I mean...how do you know that Gabriel didn't program me to do something?" she asked hesitantly. Walking over to Ashlocke's body, she gazed on his face through the glass and shivered.  
  
"We don't know. You'll just have to take things a day at a time, all right? Meantime, I'll be happy to work with you as will the others," he assured her. "There's somebody I want you to meet in the meantime."  
  
Michelle walked through the lab door and smiled. "You wanted to see me, Adam?"  
  
"Yes, I did. Michelle Bigellow, this is Diana Bradley. I think you two have something in common," he indicated.  
  
"Hi," the student greeted and shook hands with her fellow mutant. "Is Diana the person you told me about?"  
  
"Yes. I appreciate you making the trip up here midweek," he expressed. Turning back to Diana, he added, "Michelle's a telecyber who's a former GSA agent. Eckhart manipulated her to do his biding and we've worked with her."  
  
"How do you deal with it?" Diana asked.  
  
"It's hard. I'm really lucky because I have a good friend in Emma and I trust her. Adam's a tough but fair teacher too," she replied, grinning at him. "The important thing to remember is that you aren't alone. None of us are, Diana."  
  
"And what is a telecyber exactly?" the patient asked curiously.  
  
"I interface with computers and make them do what I want them to do," Michelle explained. "It's really overwhelming sometimes, but working with everyone makes it worthwhile."  
  
"Everyone-meaning Mutant X?"   
  
"Yes. In addition, I was referring to the other new mutants down in Tucson," the telecyber stated.  
  
"There are rumors floating through the Underground about that... 'Community of Tolerance'...is that what it's called? I can't believe regular people accept us enough to go to school with them."  
  
"Well, it's working so far. We're into the second semester and there haven't been any problems so far, other than a few professors being told to keep their feelings to themselves, but you'll run into that anywhere," he commented, pushing a few more buttons and saving her scan. "You might benefit from being with them, Diana. There are two new students named Byron and Chloe who just started as well, so you'll fit right in."  
  
"I don't know...going to school will be a new experience for me. I haven't been back since high school," the time distorter doubted.  
  
"The Duboises are really good about working with us. They're mutants too...well not like us exactly. They're natural mutants-born with their abilities. Professor Dubois' powers have had a few enhancements from other things too. Trust me, they understand," Michelle assured her.  
  
"I guess. When can I meet this guy?" Diana asked, hopping off the bio bed and putting her coat back on.   
  
As if on cue, the mists appeared, allowing Lana, Chloe, and Martin to carry Clark into the lab. Behind them, Dave stepped in and closed the portal.   
  
"What the?" Michelle gasped. "Clark, how? I thought he was invulnerable or something."  
  
"There are a couple of things that can do this," Chloe huffed as they put him on the bio bed. "We just found something else that can do that too."  
  
"What happened?" Adam queried.  
  
"You know that meteor that hit near here?" Dave asked. Seeing his friend nod, he continued, "One of the professors at the university took his class on an unauthorized field trip up there. Chloe, care to take it from there?"  
  
The reporter nodded, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief before continuing. "When we found the meteor, Dr. McLanden told us that we weren't leaving until someone helped him get a sample. Clark volunteered, thinking that he could take any mishaps. He didn't want anyone getting hurt...." She fought back a couple of tears.   
  
Michelle hugged her classmate supportively and told Adam, "I was in his class last semester. He's really difficult to deal with. Talk about someone who won't budge."  
  
Dave snorted. "That's putting it mildly. Well, as soon as I know what's going on here, I'm heading back to brief Eve and Lydia and talk with the other students. Then, maybe I can get Angie back here to help him."  
  
"Right," Adam agreed, speaking into the comlink. "Emma, can you get the others up here? We have an emergency." Starting the scan, the overhead monitor brushed across the unconscious teenager several times before a read out appeared. His system seems human-like, but his metabolism is so different. "The infection's spreading fast. Did you get me a sample?"  
  
"Here," Martin said, handing him a wrapped portion of the rock.   
  
"It's the dust, Dr. Kane," Chloe informed him. "I'm sorry I didn't use my abilities to keep him warmer, but you said..."  
  
"You did the right thing, Chloe. You managed to get a message to Professor Dubois and Clark's here," the team leader assured her.  
  
At that moment, the rest of Mutant X rushed into the lab and stopped dead in their tracks at the sight in front of them.  
  
"What's going on with Clark?" Shalimar asked.  
  
"What hit him?" Brennan queried. "Adam?"  
  
"The scans are going on right now," the leader told them, putting on an environmental suit and helmet. "Meantime, I need to test this residue to see what it is. Emma, can you and Jesse suit up too? Dave, check on the others and bring this situation up to the university. Can you get Angie up here as well? We'll need her healing abilities as well."  
  
"Consider it done. Lana, Chloe, do you want to come back with me?" the professor agreed, opening the portal.  
  
"No...not yet," Lana disagreed. "If it's okay with Dr. Kane, we'd like to work out with Max, Shalimar, and Brennan. That way, we'll be here if anything comes up."  
  
"It'll help us to deal with it," Chloe added.  
  
"Fine. Shalimar, Brennan, help them with the Dojo," Adam agreed as his designated helpers finished suiting up.  
  
"Come on," the electrical mutant urged the two ladies. "You too, Diana and Michelle."  
  
After he led the quartet out of the room, Shalimar urged, "You nail that bastard's ass!" Her eyes glowed.  
  
Dave looked at Clark lying on the table one last time. What am I going to say to Jonathan and Martha? Clark, hang in there. I'll be back with help as soon as I can. "Count on it."  
  
"I'll let you know if there's any change," Emma assured him.  
  
The professor nodded and disappeared into the mists once again, leaving the others to their work.  
  
****  
  
[Tucson-Social Sciences Building]  
  
Eve sat in her office, studying her notes from the Elisian prayer manuscripts for her new book. _ I wonder what Eli thinks of this? I hope he understands that I'm not trying to defile the faith, just help others to understand it._ Hearing a rapping on the door, she answered, "Yes?"  
  
"Eve, it's Lydia Coltrane. Can I come in?"  
  
"Certainly." Seeing the other woman enter and shut the door quickly behind her, she asked, "What can I do for you?"  
  
"You haven't heard from Dave, have you?"  
  
"No. There was an incident involving Lana Lang earlier in my class. She's vanished so I can't find out what happened," the former messenger noted.  
  
"There was an accident up in the mountains involving Clark Kent. Somehow, he contracted something on Herb McLanden's field trip and he's not doing well right now. Dave took Lana up there with that mist trick of his. I covered the rest of his class in the meantime."  
  
_ I hope the young man's all right. Eli, help him._ Eve took a deep breath and stated, "He'll be back sometime tonight to check in with Angie and Karen."   
  
Lydia cracked the door to make sure nobody was listening from the hall and leaned out. As she did so, she saw a light in Dave's office. "Somebody's there. Come on," she declared.  
  
The two professors crossed the hall and knocked on the door. After Dave opened it, they asked, "Where have you been?"  
  
"Come in," he urged, frowning. They could see the worn expression on his face that only came when he was worried about a friend or family member. "I just got back a couple of minutes ago. Angie and Francesca are going to meet me at the dorm."  
  
"Where's Clark?" Lydia asked.  
  
"Clark's being looked at even as we speak. Tests are being run and we should have some results shortly. We do have a problem with Herb McLanden, however."  
  
"The field trip? What about it?" Eve asked, recalling his earlier disapproval of the venture.  
  
"It turns out he was up there illegally and dragged the class in as well. He endangered Clark's life to boot," he reported. "Eve, Lydia, you realize that this needs to be reported."  
  
"Absolutely!" Lydia agreed. "I can call a meeting of the board on Monday. Meantime, everyone's prayers are with Clark right now."   
  
"Right," Dave replied. "If you'll both excuse me, I need to get over to the dorm. Hold the line here, all right?" With that, he ushered them out and closed the door behind them. "Thanks for the help. And, as far as McLanden's concerned, he better hope that Clark pulls through.... Lana and Chloe are with the others right now, waiting for word."   
  
After he left, Eve and Lydia walked back to their offices to get ready to leave, but their thoughts were with the young man and his struggle.  
  
****   
  
The mutant students sat around a table in Graham Hall, wondering what was going on. Just an hour earlier, Adam has sent word via their pagers concerning an "emergency". As their classes had finished for the week, the remaining students gathered there and waited.   
  
About fifteen minutes into the vigil, Steve Petersen and Garth Singleton joined them with extremely grim looks on their faces.  
  
Five minutes after that, Angie, Francesca and Dave completed the group as they entered with concerned facial expressions of their own.  
  
"What is it, Professor?" Samantha wondered.  
  
"Where are Clark, Lana, Chloe, and Martin?" Byron added.  
  
Dave held up his hand. "Everyone, please. Give us a second, okay? It's been a Hell of a day." He trembled a bit, feeling the Child raging inside of him. "Agent Petersen, do you want to start?"  
  
"Sure," Steve agreed, opening up the file in front of him. "This morning, a field trip occurred up to the Mogollion Rim to investigate a meteor crash site. The group found the meteor and tried to take a sample according to the Ranger's report."  
  
"And what happened?" Michael wanted to know.  
  
"There was a leak of some kind of lethal dust. One of the students is critically ill right now and is in Adam's lab even as we speak," Garth continued.   
  
"So who is it?" Sebastian demanded.  
  
"Clark," the medievalist told them. "Somehow, the dust affected him."  
  
A silence fell over the room as this revelation sank in. The students couldn't believe it. Clark was the invulnerable one. Bullets bounced off of him, as did massed-out fists. Nothing was supposed to be able to penetrate his skin.   
  
"How is that possible?" Byron queried in disbelief. "I want to see him!"  
  
"We'll let you know when you can do so," Angie replied, trying to calm him down. "Professor Dubois and I are on our way back up there to see him. Lex, Lana, Chloe, and Michelle are already up there, thanks to Deirdre. Meantime, Adam's working as hard as possible at the moment."  
  
"Is there a cure?" Miri asked, trembling at the thought of her friend being hurt.  
  
"You know Adam, if there's one to be found, he'll find it," Dave reassured them. _ Yeah, given the alien disease in the alien being thing, this might be his toughest one yet. Still if there's anyone who can do it, it's Adam. _  
  
"On second thought," his wife offered. "Byron, why don't you and Miri come with us? Maybe some other familiar faces will help."  
  
"We'll join them tomorrow," Francesca let them know. "Go on, guys."  
  
The two selected students got up and looked at the others. Then, after the Duboises disappeared into the mists, they joined them.  
  
As the mists disappeared, the remaining people looked at each other anxiously, hoping for the best.  
  
  
Chapter 4 [New Sanctuary-Several Hours Later]  
  
Lex paced back and forth on the overhang just outside of the lab. _ Here we are again_, he thought. _ It only seems like yesterday that Adam and the others were trying to save Chloe. Now it's Clark. Have we accepted too much risk by embracing this new lifestyle?_ He smacked the wall with his fist in frustration. The young man to whom he felt closer than a brother, lay dying. When Chloe called in a dead panic, telling what had happened, he couldn't believe it. How could a trip like that happen without authorization? Worse, how could a responsible professor allow his or her students to expose themselves to danger? _ Knowing Clark, he wouldn't let the others touch it. Typical. Now he's the one who hurting. _  
  
Steve had told him that charges would be filed.  
  
_ They'd better be. If that bastard gets off, I'll bring him down myself._ He seethed with rage.  
  
"Lex?" Dave asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Hey, Dave," the billionaire replied turning to see the professor and his wife standing there. Their eyes looked as heavy as his. "Some day, huh?"  
  
"Tell me about it. I still can't believe he's in there," Dave noted. "You know McLanden almost took him to a hospital. Imagine the fuss that would've caused?"  
  
Lex nodded. _ Yeah, talk about a three-ring circus. I would like to see Petersen run interference on that one. Fortunately, we don't have to deal with it. _ "Good for him. He's going to pull through. He has to. Have you called his folks yet?"  
  
"Not yet," Angie told him. "I went in there and gave him the "magic touch". He's so sick, however, it didn't do any good."  
  
At that moment, Adam walked out of the lab dejectedly and stalked down the stairs.   
  
Dave was about to give chase when Emma advised, "He needs to be alone, Dave."  
  
"Did you find anything?" Lex asked, his eyes hopeful.  
  
"Not a damn thing," Jesse sighed. "Adam went over that sample-left, right, and indifferent. Nothing. The computers can't make heads or tails of that disease."  
  
"And there's the matter of Clark's physiology. Angie slowed the disease down with her abilities, but we can't stop it. He's dying."  
  
Lex put his face to the glass, looking desperately at his friend. "I guess someone should tell his parents? I'll do it."  
  
"No...I will," Dave disagreed. "He's my responsibility." The tears came to his face. "His parents saved our lives, Lex, and this is how I repay them?"  
  
"This isn't your fault," Angie assured him. "He was on a class field trip with another teacher. Lydia's calling the meeting of the Board. You can't protect everyone, Dave. I know you think that's your job, but it's impossible!"  
  
"Who knew some strange disease would come from space?" Emma added, trying to make him feel better. "That it would react with his body chemistry?"  
  
At that moment, Adam came back up the stairs. "I'm going to crack that virus if it kills me," he muttered.  
  
Marching in after him, Dave and Angie dogged his steps.  
  
"We might as well tell the others. This bacteria is like nothing else on Earth and if my computers can't crack it...." Adam's face was ashen as he was torn between the indignation of not being able to crack the puzzle and the pain of possibly losing such a unique being.  
  
The medievalist brooded over the student's unconscious form.   
  
"It's too bad we can't get a spaceship and fly to the source," Lex remarked.  
  
Adam glared at him.  
  
"What did you say, Lex?" Dave asked, squinting at him.  
  
"I was being sarcastic, Dave," the billionaire told him.  
  
"You may have hit it on the head," the professor told him.  
  
"What?" Angie asked incredulously. "What are you getting at?"  
  
"We have three problems as I see it. One, we don't have the materials here on Earth to deal with the problem. Two, we have no way of getting to the materials. And three, even if we could, it would take even Adam too long to figure out how to mix the elements," Dave surmised, pacing about the lab.  
  
"That sounds about right," Adam had to admit. "But how do we wish a cure to pop up?"  
  
The oncologist looked at her husband curiously. "Dave, are you thinking about what I think you're thinking about?"  
  
"There's only one hope for Clark, Princess," Dave said with conviction. "Somehow, we have to find the Andromeda. Rommie would know how to cure this bug if anyone will." He turned and walked out of the lab, heading for the stairs.  
  
The two men remaining in the lab stared dumb founded at Angie. "What is he getting at? Who's Andromeda?"  
  
She sighed. "Andromeda isn't a who. She's a what....a battleship from the future that roams the universe looking to help worlds to find peace. Somehow, she ended up back here and helped us take on an invading force of creatures called the Magog. Among other things onboard was a fully functional lab and clinic. Dave's right."  
  
"Even if we could get to the future, how do we find them?" Lex wondered. "And before Clark gets too much worse?"  
  
Adam smiled. "I think that can be arranged. Angie, do you think Deirdre can help us find your ship if we get you to the right time?"  
  
"We have to try," she told him. "Why?"  
  
"I think there may be some one who can do just that. Just get ready on your end, all right?" the geneticist advised her.  
  
"Let me see what I can do," she agreed and headed in the direction her husband had just gone.  
  
"Come on, Lex. Let's see if there's any change," Adam suggesting, guiding his guest into the lab.  
  
****  
  
Dave hung up the secured phone line with a heavy heart. Expectedly, the Kents were upset with the news and wondered why Clark and Chloe were there in the first place. Jonathan promised that their lawyer would press charges against McLanden. When Dave expressed his own consternation, they told him that he wasn't to blame and they appreciated how quickly he had taken charge of the situation.   
  
Max and Logan had taken off in the Double Helix to bring them back there. Within five hours, they would be standing in the lab, hoping for a miracle.  
  
"If only we could make this work," he wished.  
  
"Make what work?" Chloe asked, coming toward him. She was rubbing her face after a spirited workout with Lana in the Dojo.  
  
"How is he? Did Adam...?" Lana asked, a tremor of fear in her voice. She had hoped that the session would take her mind off of the situation, but it couldn't.  
  
"No, Lana, I'm sorry. Whatever that crap is, it's really spreading too quickly and Adam can't figure out what it is," he told them sadly. "We have another option, but..."  
  
"But what?" the brunette demanded. "Professor Dubois, you can't let him die!"  
  
"I never said anything of the kind!" he snapped. Collecting himself, he apologized, "Sorry. I'm on a really short leash here."  
  
"And we do have an idea," Angie added, rubbing his shoulder. "Martin, Deirdre, and Diana are ready."  
  
"So, we're going to try it, then?" Dave asked, managing a hopeful smile.  
  
"Try what? Hey, our friend's dying up there and you're being vague," Chloe demanded. "What are you thinking about?"  
  
"Ever read _ The Time Machine_?" the doctor asked.  
  
"Sure. We're going to the future, I suppose?" the reporter inquired with a skeptical look. "I know you all are the masters of the incredible and we're from the Land of the Weird, but if you could do that...."  
  
"We're going to bring it to us," Dave asserted. "Come on, we're going to make some magic, Ladies."  
  
Looking at each other, the two students followed the Duboises down the hall, hoping for the best. Click here for the next part  
  



	2. Legacies Part 2

Legacies (Part 2)  
David J. Duncan  
November 2002  


For notes & such, please see Part 1  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Byron sat by the fountain watching the cascading waters and reflecting upon the situation around him. Over the previous three hours, many sonnets about life's fragile nature and the unfair nature of Death's scythe had washed across his consciousness. However, he refused to give into those thoughts. _ Clark's going to pull through. We have too many days ahead of us. Too many happy times to enjoy._  
  
By his side, Miranda moped. _ Uncle Dave's tearing his hair out, I'm sure, over this mess. I wish I could do something to help other than just sit here and be moral support for everyone. What use is my talent if I can't help my friend? What use is it?_  
  
"Hope springs eternal, you know," he said, trying to reassure her.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said 'Hope springs eternal.' Miranda, we're not done yet," he reiterated.  
  
"You can see the end from here," she sighed, rubbing her hands together, trying not to cry. "How can you sit there and quote verses at a time like this, Byron?"   
  
"Because it keeps me sane. It allows me to hang onto hope," he noted, rubbing his hands through his dark hair. "Would you rather I throw a tantrum?"  
  
"No, that's quite all right," she said, quickly cutting off that notion. _ That's the last thing we need, especially if Uncle Dave goes too. _ She had heard from Clark and Lana how Byron had triggered his change, forcing a confrontation with the Child. "Thank you, though."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For giving me hope," she declared, smiling at him warmly. "Sandra's really lucky, you know."  
  
"I'm the lucky one, Miranda, to have her. But, I'm lucky to have all of you as friends too. That's why we can't give up. Let's hope for the best, all right?"  
  
She nodded and together, they resumed their silent vigil-each lost in his or he own thoughts.  
  
****  
  
On the Dojo's platform, Dave stood with Martin, Deirdre, Lana, and Diana. He looked around and shook his head. It's now or never. "Ready, everyone?"  
  
The shaman nodded. "Open your mind to me, Professor Dubois. Focus on your friends."  
  
The professor shut his eyes and allowed his student to probe his thoughts.  
  
As soon as Martin stood in the mindscape, he wondered what to do next. "Which memory?"  
  
"Lookin' for somethin'?" the Child asked.  
  
The shaman turned to see the professor's dark persona standing in back of him. Fortunately, the Other was just watching him.  
  
"Ah know why ya'll are here. Emmie mentioned ya'll were comin'." With that, he waved his hand, allowing Martin to see the scenes from the Duboises' adventures with the Andromeda Ascendant and her crew against the Magog.. For several minutes, the Child allowed this to go on before asking hopefully, "Can ya'll find 'em?"  
  
"If you'll let me. Work with David and me," Martin urged.  
  
The Child nodded and clasped the Native American's head. "Relax, Ah won't hurt ya."   
  
With this action, he somehow combined their abilities, allowing them to sweep across the universe in a blind blur. In this state, it wasn't a matter of speed. Time didn't mean anything to them in this state. Neither did distance. Following the remnants of the trail left by the Andromeda after she left Arizona, the duo tracked them across the galaxies until they found the ship in the midst of a dogfight with several enemies. Some of the ships were trying to board her.  
  
"Where are we?" Martin asked, trying to understand where they were.  
  
"A long way from home, Bud," the Child snapped. "Come on, let's get back and get help." Saying that, he snapped his fingers, whisking them home before his companion could take a breath.  
  
After they came to, Dave and Martin looked at the others.   
  
"Well, did you find them?" Lana asked with an anxious look on her face.  
  
"Yes, but..." the shaman started.  
  
"But what?" Chloe snapped.  
  
"They're under attack," Dave noted. "Let's say we help them."  
  
"I'll do anything for my friend," Chloe affirmed, turning crimson as her powers came on.  
  
"Ditto," Byron stated, focusing and trembling, allowing the Other to come out. "Rrrr..."  
  
Dave frowned. _ The kid's so like me, it's freaky. _  
  
Shalimar looked at her teammates. "We kick ass and they can help us. Let's go."  
  
Adam sighed, not wanting to send his charges into a war zone, but there was no choice. "Diana, can you get a date and place from them?"  
  
"I can get a date, but place is another matter," she told the others.   
  
"Leave that to me," the priestess assured her. "Papa, ready?"  
  
"One thing first," Angie told them. "Chloe, Byron, I need to ask you to keep this a secret." Drawing the sword, she changed into Xena.   
  
_ Wow! No wonder she's always by Professor Dubois' side!_ "Absolutely," she promised. "Let's go."  
  
Deirdre nodded and opened the mist portal.  
  
The others hustled through the portal before it closed leaving Lana, Lex, and Adam behind.  
  
"Can I see Clark now?" she asked.  
  
"Sure," Adam agreed.  
  
"Come on, Lana. We'll keep him safe," Lex reassured her.   
  
She managed a smile as they made their way toward the lab and the patient's side.  
  
****  
  
[Within the mists]  
  
"Where are we?" Diana asked nervously, looking about at the tunnel-like passage surrounding them.  
  
"We're in the mists," Deirdre assured her. "Don't worry. Here, we're perfectly safe. See that black portal there?" She pointed down the path toward the black opening about fifteen feet in front of them. "That's space where the Andromeda should be in its own time. Right, Papa?"  
  
"Right," Dave agreed. "Look, Diana, right?"  
  
"Yes," the younger woman indicated.  
  
"There's somebody counting on you to create a portal and get us through it, okay? You can do it," Dave assured her. "Trust me." He smiled warmly. "Please."  
  
Something about his eyes and smile made Diana agree. "All right." She put her hands together and the air between them started to glow. The energy formed into a bubble floating down the passage until it stopped in front of the portal. "I did it. Now what?"  
  
"Now, stay back until you get the signal," Xena stated, drawing her sword.  
  
"Let's rock," Dave agreed.  
  
"Right back at ya," Shalimar agreed, urging her teammates onward as they disappeared through the portal followed by Xena and the professor.  
  
The priestess sealed the portal behind them and told her companion. "Now we wait to see what happens next."  
  
  
  
Chapter 6 [Andromeda]  
  
Even as Clark's situation on Earth worsened, the situation onboard the Andromeda Ascendant matched pace. For much of the day, the crew's latest foray into the Aldeverron System had proven quiet-almost boring one might think. Wanting to investigate further, the first officer, Beka Valentine, and the weapons officer, Tyr Anasazzi conducted scans of the surrounding space and came up with nothing. Still, it almost seemed like the calm before the storm.  
  
Two hours after that, alarms went off all over command, signaling everyone to the bridge and their battle stations.   
  
"Rommie, report!" Dylan Hunt, the captain, asked sharply. "What the Hell's going on out there?"  
  
Beside him, a slender woman about five and a half feet tall with shoulder-length black hair with red streaks running through it studied the latest readouts. "We have multiple slipstream events occurring around us, Dylan. The ships are Callderan by design and we are outnumbered 10 to 1," she reported.  
  
Then the ship lurched as something impacted with the hull.  
  
"What was that?" Tyr growled, his over-sized dark hand on his gauss gun.  
  
On screen, the ship's artificial intelligence appeared, indicating, "The Callderans are trying to board me, and...they just broke through my rear cargo door. They're into Levels 35 and 36 and making their way up here."  
  
_ Damn. Those creeps just don't know how to take a hint, do they?_ Dylan wondered to himself. "How many?"  
  
"About thirty are already onboard," the AI reported.  
  
Turning to his engineer, he ordered, "Harper, stay here in command. Rommie, Beka, Tyr, you're with me. Where's Trance?"  
  
"She's in Medical. I've already told her about the situation and she in route," Rommie stated, giving her force lance a quick look over before heading out.  
  
"Good. Let's deal with this situation, shall we?" Dylan requested, heading out of Command and down toward the problem. "I hate uninvited guests!"  
  
The others followed closely, weapons at the ready for anything.   
  
****  
  
About ten minutes later, the group met up with their medical officer, Trance Gemini, in the midst of the invading force. The golden-skinned alien had engaged the enemy just a few minutes earlier, taking out several adversaries with her own force lance.   
  
"How's it looking, Trance?" Dylan asked.  
  
"Look in front of you!" she snapped, firing at another Callderan. "Reinforcements are swarming in faster than we can take them down."  
  
"Just another day in Paradise," Beka groused, firing her gauss gun into the horde.  
  
"And I wouldn't want it any other way," their Nietzschean companion stated, an almost eager grin spreading across his face as he started dropping the charging beings in front of them.  
  
Dylan shook his head furiously. "Callderans suck!" He fired off shots in rapid succession.  
  
"Doesn't everyone where you're concerned?" his first officer wise cracked, taking out two more.  
  
"When they're overwhelming my ship, damn straight!" Dylan indicated, firing still more blasts.  
  
Even as Rommie took down still more enemies, her senses honed in on another event. "Dylan, several other beings have just materialized on Deck 37! They're...human?"  
  
"Human?" Beka inquired.  
  
From below, the sounds of explosions could be heard as something...or someone engaged the invading forces from below.  
  
"The cavalry, I presume?" Tyr asked with an air of skepticism, not believing that the enemy of the enemy was necessarily their friend.  
  
"Hey, don't look a gift horse in the mouth!" Beka groused, still intent on her target practice.  
  
"Do we know who...?" Trance started to ask.  
  
Almost in answer, a loud bellowing scream akin to the ancient Earth banshees hit their ears. It was dark, angry, and all too familiar.   
  
Right behind it, they heard an "AYAYAYAYAYAYSHEEEEYYAAAHHHHH!!!!!"  
  
Finally, one of the invading aliens flew through the floor from below, hitting the ceiling.  
  
Tyr rolled his eyes, recalling their expedition to old Earth. "Let me guess. Our so-called allies from Earth?"  
  
At that moment, two more aliens flew through the newly blown open hole, skidding across the floor.  
  
Behind them, a luminescent female rose into view, bombarding the enemy with all sorts of radiation. Seeing the crew, she asked, "Which one of you is Andromeda?"  
  
"That would be me, I guess," Rommie replied. "And you are?"  
  
"My name's Chloe. Professor Dubois, Xena, and our friends are on their way up. We've got a problem," Chloe introduced herself, overexposing a few more Callderans.   
  
"Yeah, we know," Dylan stated, frying two more aliens.  
  
"No, we have another problem on Earth!" Chloe insisted.  
  
"One thing at a time first!" Xena hissed, leaping through the breach. "Long time, no see! Same type of company, huh?"  
  
"You know us," Dylan cracked. "Different aliens, different day, but they still want to kill us."  
  
"Ya think?" the Warrior Princess remarked flippantly as she sliced into the aliens' flank like a force possessed. "Hey, Big Man, anytime you want to make yourself useful!"  
  
Tyr frowned. "I'm busy. Where's your little blonde friend?"  
  
"Back on Earth minding the store and our injured friend," Xena informed him. "I don't have time for this!" Taking out her chakram, she sent it flying into the enemy, allowing it to carom off of their heads and dropping about fifteen to the floor before it returned to her hand.  
  
"I've been meaning to ask you about how you do that," Beka stated.  
  
"Ancient Amphiploian secret," the warrior remarked curtly. Seeing the enemy spill out into the hallway in front of her. "Well, looks like the rest of 'em have had enough of David and the crew downstairs! Gimme! Gimme!" Flipping into the mass, she slashed, dashed, and diced still more of the frantic aliens.  
  
From behind the Callderans, a burst of energy pushed them further into the room.  
  
"Howdy," the Child laughed as he stepped into view. "Ah see ya'll are still runnin' into trouble, ain't ya?" With each hand, he fired a pulse, wiping out still more of the invaders. "We got the ones out there."  
  
"Great!" Dylan exclaimed, sending off two more salvos.   
  
Within minutes, the rest of the invaders lay unconscious or worse on the floor in front of the assembled allies.   
  
Having finished cleaning up down below, Byron and Mutant X made their way up the access way to where Dave and the others were.  
  
"Any others?" Dylan asked them.  
  
"Nope. They're all out cold," Brennan told him. "So, this is Andromeda?"  
  
"It is. I'm Captain Dylan Hunt and these are my crew, first officer, Beka Valentine, weapons officer, Tyr Anasazzi, medical officer, Trance Gemini, and the ship's avatar, Andromeda. And you are?" Dylan introduced.  
  
"Brennan Mulwray. My friends are Jesse Kilmartin, Emma diLauro, Shalimar Fox, and Byron Moore," the electrical mutant replied.  
  
Chloe returned to her normal appearance and added, "I'm Chloe Sullivan. Sorry to be so abrupt before."  
  
"Well, it's not everyday a glowing girl rises out of the hold and fries the opposition," Tyr cracked sarcastically.  
  
"Tyr, that's enough!" Dylan advised sharply. "Now then, Chloe, you mentioned you had an emergency on Earth. What's up?"  
  
"Well, we had a meteor hit close to where we are. One of my friends investigated it and was exposed to some sort of space dust. It's killing him," she explained, her eyes starting to water.  
  
Dave interjected, "Clark's an alien and, as Chloe just said, the dust is from space. Our computers can't find a cure. You're his last hope."  
  
Rommie spoke up. "Where is he now? The patient, I mean?"  
  
"Adam's working on him right now," Emma noted. "I suspect that if nothing's found soon, he may put Clark in stasis to buy more time."  
  
Trance rubbed her chin, reading the situation and interpreting it through her precognitive senses, as well as her knowledge of past events. _ Could this be the same Clark Kent of ancient Earth? If so, we need to help him._ "Dylan, this is critical. Maybe a few of us can go and check things out?"  
  
Beka frowned, not wanting to run into her ditzy twin again.  
  
"I agree with Trance, especially given the nature of the patient. We can't let him die," the avatar added.  
  
"Wait a minute!" Brennan exclaimed. "You know who Clark is?"  
  
"Of course," Rommie assured him. "Just as I know that the four of you are Mutant X and that Adam is Dr. Adam Kane, the inventor of modern genetic research."  
  
Dylan sighed. _ Last time we were back there, we were almost stuck there._ Still.... "Can you get us back here after we're done?"  
  
"I'm sure Cybelle and Deirdre can arrange something. Well?" Dave asked.  
  
Looking at his crew, the captain agreed, "Let's do it. We still owe you for helping us with the Magog before."  
  
"Friends help friends, Captain," Xena chimed in grimly.  
  
At that moment, Deirdre and Diana popped in from the mists.   
  
"So...are we going?" the priestess asked.  
  
"We are," Dylan replied. "You're going to have to transport us there though."  
  
Diana looked at them all nervously. "I can't extend my portal over an entire ship!"  
  
"Yes you can," Dave assured her. "Focus..."  
  
She took a deep breath.  
  
"You can do it, Diana," Emma assured her.  
  
The time warper generated energy between her hands and released the glowing ball in front of her.  
  
The energy ball phased out of the Andromeda and into space. In front of the ship, it formed into a portal expanding slowly until it matched the ship's size.  
  
"I...don't know how long..." Diana told them, gritting her teeth from the effort.  
  
"That's good enough," Dylan told her. "Rommie?"  
  
"We're on our way," the avatar told him as they plunged into the portal. Once they had done so, they sat in empty space.  
  
"Good job," Deirdre complimented Diana, rubbing her shoulder. "Now it's my turn." Saying that, she opened the mists in front of the ship. "Fly into it, Andromeda, if you would."  
  
"Do it," Dylan concurred.  
  
"Aye," an overhead voice agreed.  
  
The new mutants looked around them. "Who said that?"  
  
An image matching the android in front of them appeared. "That would be me. I'm Andromeda."  
  
Shalimar's eyes glowed yellow reflecting her confusion. "You both can't be Andromeda!"  
  
"They are," Dave noted.  
  
"I am the sentient intelligence for the ship-the artificial intelligence. Rommie is my avatar-my robotic right hand if you will," the Andromeda image replied flatly. "Deirdre, we have come out on the other side of your fog. According to my sensors, we are in your system. What should we do now?"  
  
The priestess looked expectantly at her father. "Well, Papa?"  
  
"Can you do what you did the last time?" the professor wondered.   
  
"That's a good idea," Dylan concurred. "Rommie, I want you and Trance to accompany us to the surface. Beka, you and Tyr stay here and keep things going. All right?"  
  
"Fine with me, Dylan," the first officer concurred.  
  
Tyr shrugged. He had no wish to go back to Earth.  
  
"Let's go and see if we can help," the captain urged.  
  
"Follow me then," the priestess stated, opening the portal. When the others had vanished, she looked at the remaining crewmembers anxiously before closing up the passage behind her.  
  
  
Chapter 7   
  
The Double Helix sped back from Smallville pushing its limits to return to Sanctuary before anything happened. Fortunately, the air space in front of it was clear.  
  
The occupants remained pensive. In the back seats, Jonathan and Martha Kent sat worrying about their son. Beside them, Eve and Gabrielle tried to assure them that everything was going to be all right.   
  
At the pilots' stations, Logan and Max watched the instruments carefully, keeping a sharp eye out for any signs of trouble.   
  
"How are we doing?" Logan asked.  
  
"We're making good time," Max replied flatly. _ This isn't so bad. Of course, between that Manticore training and Adam's simulator, I could pick this up quickly._  
  
"How long until we're there?" Martha inquired anxiously. Tears streaked her cheeks and she trembled a bit.  
  
"About twenty more minutes," the transgenic pilot commented. "Adam's got things well in hand. Dave wanted to apologize for not coming himself, but he's wrapped up right now."  
  
"What could it be?" Jonathan wondered. "Clark's his responsibility!"  
  
She glared at him. "He's getting help for your son, all right? Let's say he's got some friends who may be able to help."   
  
"Max," Logan said, reminding her of their feelings.  
  
"Yeah, yeah...I know. I just want them to know that Dave's doin' everything he can."  
  
"We...know that," Martha assured her. "It's really hard right now. One minute, your boy is nearly invulnerable and the next, he's fighting for his life."  
  
"Everything happens for a reason," Eve tried to explain. "I just wish I understood why this occurred."  
  
Gabrielle simply shook her head. _ Xena, I'm hoping that you and David find the help he's seeking._  
  
Then, the screen snapped on and Adam's image appeared. "Max, where are you?"  
  
"We just crossed the border between Colorado and Arizona. ETA...about ten minutes. Clark's parents, Eve, and Gabrielle are on board," she informed him. "How's our boy?"  
  
"Put me on the main screen," the former geneticist requested. When she had done so, he greeted, "Jonathan, Martha, I wish you could be visiting under better circumstances."  
  
"How's he doing, Adam?" the farmer asked.  
  
"Hanging in there," Adam noted. "We're still running tests. We'll have more information for you when you get here. Meantime, I'll have somebody meet you there."  
  
Looking past Adam, Martha saw Lana standing over Clark's still form. "Adam, can I talk to Lana for a minute?"  
  
He nodded and motioned to the nervous teenager who joined him at the console.  
  
"Mr. and Mrs. Kent, sorry, I must look a sight...." Lana excused herself, rubbing her eyes.   
  
"That's okay," Jonathan assured her. "Thanks for being with Clark."  
  
Lana managed a smile. "Like I'm going to be anywhere else, right? The others are downstairs trying to cope. Some of them will meet you in the hangar. I'll see you in a few minutes."  
  
"Right," Martha commented as the screen went dark.   
  
  
****  
  
Ten minutes later, Max brought the ship to rest on its platform and shut down the engines. "Okay, everyone. We're here."  
  
The bard and former messenger waited for the nervous parents to deplane before they followed.   
  
At the stairs, Miranda waved to the group. "Over here!"  
  
"Miranda, how is he?" Martha wondered, hugging the younger woman.  
  
"You'll get the entire story upstairs. Chloe's on her way." Looking up, she saw a light dancing above them. "In fact...."  
  
Chloe streaked into the room and landed beside them. "Mr. and Mrs. Kent, sorry about this."  
  
They stared at her. "Chloe? Is that?"  
  
She focused and returned to normal. Managing a nervous smile, she nodded. "Yeah, I guess you can call it the new me. I turn radioactive and stuff."  
  
"How long has this been going on with you?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Since Christmas," the reporter replied. "Umm...I hate to cut this off but Adam, Lex, and Lana are waiting for you. Oh, Miri, your uncle's back and he's got some rather interesting people with him, I've gotta say."  
  
"Interesting? Knowing Uncle Dave, that's putting it mildly. Let's go," the former waitress told them, leading them toward the lab.  
  
****   
  
[A few minutes earlier]  
  
Adam signed off of the connection with the Double Helix and rubbed the sides of his nose. _ It's never easy for parents._ "Thank you, Lana, I know that wasn't easy."  
  
"No problem, Adam," she sighed and returned to Clark's side. "They need to know what's going on. I hope that Professor Dubois gets back soon."  
  
As if on cue, the mists formed in the corner of the room. Through them, Deirdre, Diana, Mutant X and Dave walked into the area.   
  
"Hey. Did you find them?" Adam wondered.  
  
"We did," Dave told him, motioning as Dylan, Rommie, and Trance followed them into the room. "These are our friends. Dr. Adam Kane, Captain Dylan Hunt, Andromeda, and the lady with the golden skin and the pointed ears is Trance Gemini, I guess." Seeing a surprised look from the latter, he apologized, "Sorry, last time we met, you were purple. That doesn't matter now." He managed a smile.   
  
"That's okay," the medical officer assured him. "I get that reaction a lot. We can talk later." Walking over to the bio bed, she inspected the patient. "Where are the read outs?"  
  
"Floating right in front of you, actually," Adam informed her.  
  
The golden alien inspected the CGI-imagery before taking out her own instrument and running it over Clark's body. "Rommie, have you seen this?" She gaped.  
  
The android frowned. "Amazing. I thought this would never happen."  
  
Dylan studied Rommie's expression. _ She usually doesn't get so serious unless something's really wrong._ "What is it?"  
  
"Dylan, there are two things wrong with this picture. First, Clark has a disease that has been extinct for almost twenty years from the time we're at now...."  
  
Lana stared and interjected, "What is it? Can you tell us?"  
  
The android looked again at her comrades wondering how much to tell their hosts. _ If we do tell them, do we alter history as we know it? And, if so, by how much?_  
  
"Don't worry. We've kept the secret of Clark's true nature this long. We can keep this one too," the medievalist advised them. "What is it, Rommie?"  
  
She turned to her captain. After he nodded, she continued, "From what Trance and I are picking up on our readings and from the splotches on his skin as well as the convulsions, he has the Rulgan Plague. But that's impossible...."  
  
"Yet there he is," Xena argued grimly.  
  
"No, we see that," Trance assured the others. "He has it all right. What Rommie means is that only one planet's people were susceptible to that virus. The disease disappeared with the planet's destruction."  
  
"Clark is an alien," Lana revealed. "Could he have been from that planet?"  
  
Rommie scanned Clark again and checked the records against the old Commonwealth records in her databanks. "He is. Again, it's a statistical impossibility and yet, here he is!"  
  
"Here who is?" Dylan asked her.  
  
At that moment, Miranda and Chloe led Jonathan and Martha into the lab.  
  
"What's going on? Who are these people?" the farmer wanted to know.  
  
"Jonathan and Martha Kent, I presume?" Trance guessed, a smile crossing her lips. _ The records did have his overprotective streak right._ "We're David's friends and we're here to help Clark."  
  
The captain approached the parents. "I'm Dylan Hunt, Captain of the Andromeda Ascendant and a friend of David and Angela's. The two women are my Medical Officer, Trance Gemini, and my Information specialist, Andromeda. Rest assured, we are here to help."  
  
"Have you found anything thus far?" Martha queried anxiously.  
  
"The virus is called Rulgan Plague. Normally, it's a three-day fever similar to your common cold here on Earth," Rommie stated.  
  
"But, what if it's not a normal case?" Adam asked.  
  
"In those cases, the patient gets weaker and he dies unless the antidote can be administered. Only people from the planet Krypton are in that category, but that world was destroyed almost twenty years ago," she continued.  
  
Martha looked anxiously at her husband. "Jonathan, that would have been about the right time for Clark to have..."  
  
He nodded. "Can you get this antidote from your ship for him? Whatever you need, we'll pay you."  
  
Dylan shook his head and smiled. _ For what this young man represents to both of his worlds, we have to do this. _ "Not necessary. We're happy to do this. I can have Trance and Andromeda get the serum from our stores and administer it to him right away."  
  
Disheartened, Trance and Rommie glanced at him.  
  
"Or maybe not. What's wrong? With all of that technology back there, you can make it, right?" Emma inquired, judging from the emotions coming off of the captain and the golden alien.  
  
Martha buried her face in Jonathan's chest and sobbed.  
  
Lana crossed her arms over her chest and bowed her head.  
  
"Rommie, we've got to make this work," Dylan insisted.  
  
"Dylan, I can do a great many things as you're well aware. I have the formula in my database. One problem-no raw materials, no serum," the avatar replied flatly.  
  
"We have that weird dust," Brennan pointed out, indicating where Adam had separated it from the air.  
  
"The purple dust will help," Trance agreed. "But we need something else. There's an element called Trolipoline and it's only found in one place, the planet Krypton."  
  
"But you just said that the planet blew up! So how?" Shalimar protested, tiring of staying silent.  
  
"The planet blew up but there is some left in the asteroid remainders of the planet. Dylan, judging from my calculations of the distance between here and Krypton, as well as the subject's condition, we will need to take him with us. We will not have time to find the mineral, mix the serum, and get it back here before he dies," Rommie detailed.  
  
"He's not going anywhere without us!" Jonathan argued vehemently.  
  
"Fine. Then you can come with us," Dylan relented. "Pick a group from amongst yourselves to come along with us. In any event, I'm not going to let this young man die without a fight. That's a promise."  
  
"All right," Martha agreed, sensing that he was speaking the truth.   
  
"Sorry I blew," Jonathan apologized.  
  
"No need to apologize." the captain waved it off. "Let's get him back to the ship. Deirdre, can you do that mist thing again?"  
  
"Consider it done," the priestess indicated, creating the portal. "There, you have access to the Andromeda again."  
  
"Thank you," Rommie agreed. "We'll get things started up there. Jonathan and Martha, please follow me."  
  
Adam looked at the others before indicating, "I'm coming as well. Here, allow me." Pressing a button on the side of the bio bed, he triggered the bed's hovering mechanism, causing Clark to float in midair. "Show me where you need him to go."  
  
"Of course," Trance concurred, leading him into the mists.  
  
"The rest of us will be up in a bit. All right?" Dave inquired.  
  
"Sounds good. We'll need to leave soon," Rommie pointed out.  
  
"Right. Everyone, meeting downstairs on the double," the professor pointed out.  
  
  
****  
  
Five minutes later, Dave sat in the living area looking at the combined forces in front of him. The mutant students' faces betrayed their trepidation and fear for their friend. Mutant X seemed anxious to help. Finally, his friends and his remaining family sat there as well.  
  
"Okay, we need to decide who stays and who goes," he started. "While I would like us all to go, I think we need to keep people back here. First of all, the students need to stay here. Sorry, guys, but your exams are coming up."  
  
"Clark's our friend, Professor Dubois!" Samantha protested.   
  
"He's our teammate!" Sebastian added, standing up.  
  
Dave smiled and ran his hand through his hair. _ They definitely are a great bunch. I'll give them that._ "I want you all to keep an eye on things while we're gone. All right? Classes go on, but just as importantly, you need to stay focused. Clark would want you to do that."  
  
"My mother, Gabrielle, and I will be with him," Eve told them.   
  
"Well, you aren't telling me to stay here!" Chloe indicated.  
  
Dave smirked and shook his head at Lex before replying, "I wouldn't dream of it. You, Lex, Lana and Byron are representing the group. As for everyone else, if we need help, Deirdre can get the rest of you ASAP. If anything happens, same thing."  
  
"We've got your word on that?" Paula insisted.  
  
"Yes. Meantime, I believe Emma and Adam are representing Mutant X. Max, Jesse, Brennan, and Shalimar will be back here with you if anything happens," the professor continued. "Wish us luck, gang. We're going to need it."  
  
The Smallville contingent stared at him anxiously.  
  
"Remember what Machiavelli said about luck, Dave," Lex pointed out.  
  
"Yes, I do. Why do you think we're making this trip?" the medievalist remarked. "Come on. They're waiting on us."  
  
The priestess, receiving her cue, opened the portal, allowing the subgroup to enter before sealing it behind them.  
  
After they had gone, the students looked at each other anxiously wondering what to do next. They were very concerned for their friend, but knew he was in good hands. They would wait for word but try to go on with their lives as well.  
  
  
  
Chapter 8 [Onboard the Andromeda]  
  
Seamus Harper, the ship's engineer, stalked into command, guzzling a Sparky cola and wondering what was going on. For the past two hours, he had taken a nap or at least, tried to do so in the midst of the racket echoing throughout the space vessel.  
  
"Awright, what the heck's goin' on? Can't a genius take a nap around here?" he groused.  
  
Beka and Tyr shot him simultaneous dirty looks from their respective positions. She inspected the slipstream controls to make sure everything was ready for their next trip. For his part, the weapons officer studied his console and growled a curt response.  
  
"I can't believe you slept through all of the fighting, Harper," she chided. "The Callderans stormed the ship."  
  
"Callderans, here?" the scrawny Earther responded, turning white as he recalled some of the crew's earlier run ins with the persistent aliens.  
  
"Yes, Boy. They were here. Fortunately, we received some help from our friends," Tyr informed him in a surly tone. "Your fellow Earthers crashed in right after them."  
  
"Earthers out here? You've got to be kidding! So how did they get in here? We're way out in space."  
  
"Ask our friends from the past. Even Tyr's girlfriend popped...or should I say, flipped into the scene, bashing heads," she continued, sending a verbal jab at the Nietzschean.   
  
"She's not my girlfriend," he replied curtly, the defensiveness clearly evident in his voice.  
  
Harper snorted and hustled to the other side of the bridge. Good, something to rank on him about...Finally.  
  
"Yeah. Whatever, Tyr," Beka chuckled, making the final adjustments.  
  
At that moment, Rommie and Dylan walked back onto the bridge.   
  
"So, how did the trip go?" the first officer inquired. "So we have our patient?"  
  
"He's in Medical," Rommie stated. "Trance and the others are with him." She stole a glance at Tyr. "Your _ girlfriend_ is there too."  
  
Tyr growled low and glared at the android. _ I'll get even with Beka for that one._ "What is the captain's pleasure?"  
  
_ You mean besides turning the knife a bit more?_ Dylan choked back a chuckle and only betrayed the slightest of smiles. "How are our weapons?"  
  
"Sound as far as I can tell," Tyr reported, happy for a change of subject. "What do you wish to do now?"  
  
"Rommie, can you input the coordinates into the computer? Beka, get ready to go to slipstream on my mark," the captain stated.  
  
Rommie typed a few keystrokes inputting numbers before indicating. "It'll take two jumps to do it, but we can be there within a day."  
  
"And where are we going, O' Captain?" Beka wondered.  
  
"The planet Krypton...or rather, what's left of it," Dylan told her.  
  
Harper scratched his head. Then he realized who the patient was. "Dylan, is Dave Dubois down there with his students?"  
  
"Exactly, Mr. Harper. I know what you're thinking and you're under orders...no hero worship or anything for those kids," Dylan ordered.  
  
Seeing the engineer make a face, Rommie continued, "Harper, if you say anything, you could change the future perhaps irrevocably. We know who those students are and what they represent to Earth's history. David's mission to found the Community of Tolerance is only starting. We need to let history run its natural course. If you tell them, everything as we know it could be different."  
  
"Okay. Well, can I meet them at some point? Just to say hi and be friends? I'll say I'm from Mars or something," Harper requested, taking another gulp from his soda can.  
  
"They know you're from Earth in the future, but I'm sure that Dave and Dr. Kane will talk to the students and our guests about the situation too. Meantime, mum's the word. If you want to be friendly, that'll be fine. Just be careful. How are we doing, Beka?" Dylan continued, checking his own readouts.  
  
She pressed a few buttons and checked the charts. "Everything's in order." Another button push lowered an overhead device. She sat in a chair and grasped the two joysticks on either side of her. "Ready."  
  
Through the front window, they could see the slipstream portal form in front of them.  
  
"Take a look, guys. We're going to do the first jump in recorded history. Too bad we can't tell anyone about it," Harper groused.  
  
Dylan managed a half smile sympathetically for his engineer. "At least you'll be part of it with us, Harper, and we are saving a life here. 3-2-1. Mark!"  
  
Beka pulled on the control, sending the Andromeda into the slipstream and causing the familiar shimmering effect to ripple throughout the ship for a moment. When things settled down, she said, "We're under way. We've got about 5 hours before we return to normal space for the next jump."  
  
"Very good," Dylan noted. "Rommie, let's go to medical. Everyone else, stay here and keep an eye on things. We'll be back soon."  
  
After the avatar followed him, the doors shut leaving the others to wonder what they would find next.  
  
****  
  
[Medical Area-A few minutes earlier]  
  
Trance and Adam guided Clark and the bio bed into the clinic area and gently transferred the patient to her examination table.  
  
"Vital signs are still stable. Do you have those readings from your computers, Dr. Kane?" she indicated, reading the latest set of reports from the portable scanner she carried.  
  
"Right here," he said, handing her a CD. "Can your system read this?"  
  
"Hmm...well, no offense, but it's a bit primitive. Fortunately, Harper, our engineer, has made some modifications to our systems," she told him as she walked over to her friend's latest gadget. "I believe this is one of your umm...CD drives?"  
  
He nodded. "That'll work." Looking around, he marveled, _ How advanced this all is. Impressive. I can see why Dave wanted to bring these folks in for their assistance._  
  
She popped in the CD and watched as the computer provided the data on the screen. However, it came out as gibberish.  
  
"Andromeda, why is this happening?" Trance inquired.  
  
The AI's image appeared and told her golden-skinned friend, "The computer can't make heads or tails of the data. However, I can run it against the Commonwealth's archives and see if I get any results." She focused and suddenly, the data unscrambled itself, providing a legible read out. "There."  
  
Adam shook his head, managing a smile as he adjusted to what was going on around him. "Amazing."  
  
"Thank you, Dr. Kane," the image replied pleasantly. "Your readings are going to save us some time."  
  
"I wish we could have done more," Adam expressed.  
  
"Believe me, you've done more already than should have been possible at your point in history," the AI assured him. "You were able to detect the disease and chart its progress in Clark's system. Most other computer systems wouldn't have even noticed it."  
  
At that moment, Xena and Dave entered the area.   
  
"How are we doing?" the warrior inquired.  
  
"We're monitoring him," Trance informed them. "Until we get that serum into him, he'll continue to deteriorate. How long until we go to slipstream?"  
  
"Beka's putting in the calculations now. Brace yourselves," the android stated, hanging onto the table and Clark's arm.  
  
The others followed suit, each taking hold of something near them. As the rippling effect surged through them, they felt disjointed as if time was slowing and speeding up all at once. Then things returned to normal.  
  
"What in Tartarus was that?" Xena wondered, looking around the room.  
  
Dave shook his head, trying to make sure that everything was still in one piece. "Wow. Talk about your psychedelic experiences...."  
  
"We are now in the slipstream. This is how we travel from point to point across space," Andromeda pointed out.   
  
"And we're in hyperspace now, right?" Dave cracked.  
  
"Excuse me, Dave?" Adam queried.  
  
Xena shrugged recalling their first experience in space. "We've been through this before although not with that jarring feeling."  
  
"Did Clark hang in there all right?" the medievalist queried.  
  
"He's fine for now," Trance stated. "Dr. Kane, I can keep an eye on him for now. Why don't you go check on the others?"  
  
Adam nodded. "Come on, Dave. Let's talk to the students and see how they're doing."  
  
"Right," the professor agreed. "Xena?"  
  
She sighed. _ I feel so damn helpless here._ "Can someone show me where that gymnasium is? You know the one I used the last time we were here?"  
  
"I'll ask Rommie to do that," the image agreed. "Meet your friend, Gabrielle, and I'll arrange for you both to work some steam off."  
  
"Thanks," Xena expressed, following Dave and Adam out of the room, heading for the observation deck.  
  
A moment later, Dylan and Rommie entered.   
  
"How's our patient?" he wondered.  
  
"We need that antidote, Dylan," Trance informed him flatly. "I didn't want to say anything in front of David, but Clark's fading badly. How much longer until we reach Krypton?"  
  
He exhaled deeply, looking at his two companions. On the table, he saw the young man breathing erratically and fighting the disease that raged inside of him. _ He's survived so much already. He needs to win this one too. Come on, Clark, don't quit on us. Not now. Not now._   
  
Please click here for next part. 


	3. Legacies Part 3

Legacies (Part 3)  
David J. Duncan  
November 2002  


For notes & such, please see Part 1  
  
Chapter 9 (Spoilers: Smallville-"Ryan")  
  
The Smallville contingent sat in the observation desk pensively waiting for news about Clark. They paced the strange room, staring at the walls, the unusual décor, and the views of the slipstream outside of the window.  
  
To the Kents, this waiting was unbearable. Since they had received the call earlier today, they had been on pins and needles, hoping for the best but knowing that this situation might just be more than their son could handle.  
  
For Lana, she sat quietly in the corner meditating and trying not to think about the situation. Their relationship, so long in the making, lay on life support several metallic levels down. _ Is this what it's going to be like? Worrying everyday if he's going to come home safely? Clark's worrying the same way about me? Is it really worth it? Then she thought about his smile, the sparkle in his eyes, how safe she felt around him. Of course it is...don't give up on him. He would go through Hell and back for you._ Mouthing a silent prayer, she secluded herself back within her own inner thoughts.  
  
Across the room, Lex and Chloe observed the proceedings trying to keep their own spirits up. For a pair of control freaks, sitting helplessly and watching their closest friends suffer was agony.  
  
Chloe sulked and shook her head. _ If only I had stepped forward. If only I could have spared Clark and everyone else this torture. This is all my fault._  
  
Lex rubbed her shoulder. "Hey, no guilt trips now. "  
  
She looked up at him. "I could have prevented this, Lex. The professor was going to pick me instead of Clark."  
  
"Chloe, you can't blame yourself."  
  
"Can't I?" she doubted, rubbing her eyes. "Clark's always being the hero, you know. He's always saving us from this and that. Yet, when it counted, I choked!"  
  
He hugged her tightly and exchanged looks with the Kents._ Damn McLanden for this!_ He didn't even want to imagine what he might have done if the blond reporter had come back comatose or worse from that trip. After allowing the dark thoughts to dissipate, he took a deep breath and teased, "Yeah, my girlfriend, the chicken choke artist."  
  
She glared at him silently.   
  
He smirked. _ Figures. The only way to keep her sane is to piss her off._ "Oh right, you choked. Listen, Sullivan, if it weren't for you, Clark would be wasting away in some nut factory probably right now, with scientists trying to find out what he is. Remember what happened to Ryan?"  
  
She nodded sadly recalling the sweet boy who just wanted a family but died from such lab experiments.  
  
"Well, if McLanden had dragged him off to Flagstaff, he'd be there right now. Well, maybe not...knowing Dave and Steve. The point is you saved the day. You're one of the reasons we're here giving Clark a fighting chance," he continued.  
  
"How do you figure that?" she wondered, still wiping her eyes.  
  
"You got a hold of Lana and help. Then, you held off McLanden and helped the Ranger to keep Clark safe until the others could get him to Sanctuary. If that's not the mark of a hero, I don't know what is. I'm proud of you, Chloe. Now, let's think positively, all right?" he explained.  
  
"All right," she agreed. "Are you always this persistent, Luthor?"  
  
"Yeah, but I learn from the best," he gibed, kissing her.  
  
"Thanks, Lex," Jonathan indicated, joining them along with Martha.  
  
"For what? Oh that. Well, I meant it. They had no business being up there. Clark and Chloe were heroes today on that ridge. They kept their classmates out of danger and contained that lunatic's damage. Unfortunately, my best friend is down in the medical clinic because of that. But I do believe he's going to make it, Mr. and Mrs. Kent. He still has a destiny. We all have a destiny yet to fulfill. There's a lot of good that needs doing in the world, right?"  
  
"That's putting it mildly," Martha admitted, managing a smile. "You're being such a good friend to us all."  
  
"Hey, Clark's the reason I'm sitting here, right?" Lex replied, trying yet again to stay upbeat for everyone else's sake. "I'm not giving up on him. Not now. Not ever."  
  
At that moment, the doors opened allowing Adam to enter the area. Seeing everyone look anxiously at him, he shook his head and rubbed the sides of his nose. "No change as far as I know. Trance is still working on him."  
  
"Where are Dave and Xena?" Emma asked from where she had been standing off to the side of the room. "We thought they were with you."  
  
"Xena and Gabrielle, I guess, are off training in the gym to burn off steam. Dave took a different turn and disappeared about three floors down. He looked as if he knew where he was going so I didn't stop him," the team leader told her.  
  
The empath scanned the ship level by level, searching and seeking her friend's aura. Finally, in a room five floors down, she locked onto him. "He's alone and he's beating himself up mentally right now."  
  
"Lex, how about the three of us go down there? I think he could use some company," Martha requested.  
  
The billionaire looked at them curiously. _ There's a loaded proposition. On the one hand, I agree with her. Yet, he could be ready to lash out. _ "The last time I tried that, Mrs. Kent, I nearly caused a meltdown."  
  
"Lex, you can't stop trying, remember?" Chloe advised, turning the tables.  
  
_ You enjoy that, don't you?_ Seeing her manage a smile, he agreed, "Let's go." With that, he followed Jonathan and Martha downstairs.  
  
  
****  
  
Even as the others sought solace in each other, Dave sat alone in the midst of Trance's plant collection. As with the last trip aboard the spacecraft, Andromeda had medieval arias wafting through the background, attempting to soothe the professor's nerves. Still, he sat for hours listening to the music and brooding in the dimly lit area. Despite the others' assurances to the contrary, he still felt guilty for what had happened to Clark and could have happened to the other students.  
  
Finally, the door slid open softly, sounding almost like a breath of cool air to most ears.  
  
"Who's there?" he snapped.  
  
"Dave, it's Eve. I was wondering how you were doing," the religion professor said.  
  
"Death is a funny thing, isn't it?" he replied morosely. "That scythe of his sure goes nuts sometimes."  
  
"We cannot understand why things happen, Dave," she noted. "We can only have faith."  
  
He snorted. "I try to have faith, Eve. I try to believe. Yet around me, I see the good hurting all around me. My family is blown up. My closest friends are murdered. Finally, a kind young man is lying downstairs fighting for his life because of an act of heroism. Why do people like that hurt while the wicked live on? WHY?"  
  
She sighed deeply, remembering all those she had wronged as Livia. _ His heart cries out in pain. Still, he won't let the Child out. How do I assure him? Eli, how do I help this man who has already endured more pain than anyone should in three full lifetimes?_ "Life is never easy, Dave. Some of us are tested more than others. We can't lose faith."  
  
"I still believe...but why is everyone I love suddenly dropping like flies? What did I do to deserve this? What?" he wondered in exasperation, throwing his hands up in the air.  
  
She embraced him assuring, "One day, it will all be apparent. Meantime, you have all of us. You're not alone, all right? Let it out."  
  
He sobbed for almost fifteen minutes before the change occurred.  
  
The Child looked at her. "Thank ya fer that."  
  
"You're welcome," she replied pleasantly, trying to keep her voice calm and soothing. "Remember, everyone's going to be fine."  
  
"Indeed," Lex agreed, walking into the room accompanied by the Kents. "It's a bit dark in here, isn't it?"  
  
"Ah like it that way!" the Child replied tersely.  
  
The two nervous parents' anxiety went up another octave.  
  
"It's all right. Just be careful of what you say to him," Lex advised his companions.  
  
"If you say so," Martha agreed. Suddenly, she recalled her husband's words from that fateful day in the hospital about David's mental condition. _ The psychiatrists worried that this would happen._  
  
"M...Mar...tha?" the Dark One called.  
  
"Yes, David?" Martha responded.  
  
"Not Big Brother! Ah'm mah own person!" the Other hissed.  
  
Martha jumped back three steps, her eyes bulging at the seething rage burning in the man's eyes in front of her.  
  
"We know that. They just don't understand," Eve informed him.  
  
Lex looked him in the eye. "What's going on with you and Dave, huh?"  
  
"We screwed up," the Child confessed. "Made promise. Couldn't keep it."  
  
"How's that?" Jonathan asked, steeling himself to come closer.  
  
"We couldn't pr'tect Clark." The Child's left eye watered a bit.  
  
The farmer shook his head. _ I don't know the first thing that's going on in his head right now, but it's obvious that he's feeling responsible for what happened._ "Look, you can't be everywhere. All right?"  
  
"We know that you try as hard as you can with the kids, but they're college kids. They go off campus and do other things," Lex agreed.  
  
"We shoulda stopped that twit 'fore the trip!" the Child protested. "Now, it's too late."  
  
"Mr. and Mrs. Kent, I assure you that charges will be filed in this matter," Eve added. "The Ethics Board will meet as soon as we get back. Meantime, well...."  
  
"Yeah well fat lotta good that does Clark!" the Child growled. "We let 'em down!"  
  
"No, you didn't," Martha assured him. "We're here, aren't we? We're on the way toward a cure for Clark."  
  
"You're doing exactly what you said. Besides, you protected his secret yet again today, as you did at the Moore house last month. Don't beat yourself up. You're not the one that I'm angry at," Jonathan informed him.  
  
"N...No?"   
  
"Of course not," Martha continued. "Come here." Overcoming her own misgivings, she allowed her maternal instincts to take over as she embraced him as well. "Shhh...It's going to be all right. It's going to be all right."  
  
Feeling particularly safe, the Child smiled and allowed the change to happen again.  
  
"Martha? Jonathan?" Dave asked, rubbing his head.  
  
"Yes, it's us," she replied. "What happened just now? We were talking but it wasn't you."  
  
"I have two personalities, as you saw that night at the Talon," Dave admitted. "I deal with them."  
  
"And the Other is no threat to the students," Lex quickly added. "Speaking of welfare, how are you doing?"  
  
"Still feeling like a heel for what happened," Dave stated.  
  
"Well, stop it, all right?" Lex declared, shaking him. "It's going to be fine."  
  
"Sorry, Lex. I'll believe it when I see him walking around again," the professor told his friend.  
  
I'm sure. "Hey, as I told you in their loft, sulking isn't going to help you. Come on, let's go find the others," the entrepreneur suggested.  
  
"All right," the medievalist agreed, climbing to his feet and following the others out of the room. _ I hope he's right._  
  
  
******  
  
[Gymnasium]  
  
Xena and Gabrielle circled each other warily, their staffs held in ready positions. For the past hour, they had parried and battled, trying to burn off their anxiousness. For the most part, they managed to pretend it was another Amazon training session. As such, they made sure to hold back a bit so as not to hurt one another. They twirled, ducked, struck out, and avoided each other. Even as they went through the motions, the knots of nervousness loosened a bit.  
  
"I hope David's all right," Gabrielle hoped, parrying a strike.  
  
"As soon as he gets over his guilt phase, he'll be fine," Xena assured her, moving her staff into position again.  
  
"I can tell Francesca's worried about him," the bard replied.  
  
"Yeah? Well, try dealin' with Angela. She's a nervous wreck right now-not being able to help with Clark and all. Personally either way, I'd be more concerned about that other professor and what David does to him when we get back," the Warrior Princess noted, executing a flip, caroming off of a wall and landing behind Gabrielle.  
  
The other warrior, however, had followed the motion with ease and parried the thrust from behind as well.   
  
"You're getting better," Xena admitted.   
  
"I've had plenty of practice," her companion replied, walking off to grab a towel. "Want one?"  
  
"Yeah, thanks!" the warrior accepted, catching the white towel out of the air and wiping her brow with it. She smiled. "You can come in now, Tyr."  
  
The Nietzschean skulked into the room. "That's good. I made no sound and yet you detected me."  
  
"Ancient Amphipolan secret," she commented. "So what do ya want?"  
  
"I wanted to see how you were both getting along...trying to be the good host," he suggested.  
  
The two Amazons smirked at each other.  
  
_ Yeah right. He just wants a good view._ "Trying to learn about combat skills, are we?" Xena teased, her brow arched and the grin widening on her face.  
  
"I'm always trying to work on my skills," he agreed, grabbing a staff. "Are you still up to getting some exercise?"  
  
"Bring it on, Big Guy," Xena challenged, stepping back a bit. "I need to work out a few more kinks and yer it."  
  
"So what's with the boy in Medical? He doesn't seem like anything special," he wondered.  
  
"Shallow as always," Gabrielle muttered to herself.  
  
"I heard that!"  
  
"Goodie for ya!" the Warrior told him, slamming his leg with the staff. "Now, pay attention!"  
  
He growled at having let his guard down. "Grrrr!!" Swinging his staff, he missed her.  
  
"Come on, Tyr. Hit me if ya can!" she cracked, the sarcastic smile spreading across her face.  
  
"Stand still!"  
  
"Now where would the fun be if I did that?" she teased, giving him a kick in the backside and sending him into the padded section of the wall.  
  
_ By the Maker, she is good. Better than any other human female. Too bad she's not from my time._ Getting up, he snarled, "Time to end this!" He rushed her...or rather, where she had been seconds earlier.  
  
"Oh, you're sure, are ya?" she laughed, delivering two well placed blows.  
  
Fortunately, he managed to deflect them. For ten minutes, the two combatants parried themselves before they declared a truce.  
  
"Had enough?" she cracked, toweling herself off again.  
  
"Never!" he exclaimed, grinning. "You never answered my question, Xena."  
  
"If you mean Clark, yeah, he's definitely special all right. Come on, Gabrielle, let's stop by the clinic and see how he's doing," she urged, leaving the gym.  
  
For a while, he stood and thought about the two Amazons. _ They are something else all right. Then he followed as well._  
  
  
  
Chapter 10   
  
Trance continued to watch the monitors to see Clark's condition. _ He has to last for the rest of the trip. He just has to._ Recalling what she had gleaned from the elders growing up, this point in ancient history remained vague in the records. _ Maybe it's because he vanished without a trace._ Just twenty minutes earlier, she felt the Andromeda retransit into normal space before Beka calculated and initiated the second jump. "Andromeda?" she called.  
  
The AI's image appeared in front of her, arms crossed over her burgundy tunic. "Yes, Trance?"  
  
"How much longer until we reach Krypton?"  
  
Andromeda replied, "Approximately two and a half hours barring any problems. How's our patient?"  
  
The golden medic frowned. "Pulse is still dropping. He has about four hours, I estimate."  
  
At that moment, Xena and Gabrielle entered the area, looking at them.  
  
"How is he?" the former inquired.  
  
"We need to get that formula quickly," Trance informed them all. "I wish there was a way to buy some more time."  
  
"There may be," the Warrior Princess told her, sheathing the sword and focusing. In a flash, Angie stood in her place.  
  
"So that's how you do that," Andromeda realized, a slight smile on her face.   
  
The oncologist nodded and walked over to Clark's side. _ He's getting weaker._ Placing her hands on his arm, she sent healing energies into him.  
  
"What is she doing?" Trance asked, not understanding what was going on.  
  
"This is her mutant ability," Gabrielle noted. "She can heal this way."  
  
For several minutes, Angie kept contact with him, combating and forcing the disease to retreat. "Com..e...on...." She ground her teeth, her brow dampened with sweat, and she gasped for air. "I'm...not...giv...ing...up...." The glow around Clark increased before finally petering out.   
  
Trance checked the vital signs. "He's improved, but the disease is still there. You bought him another 8 hours probably, Angie."  
  
"Okay," she huffed tiredly before drawing the sword and changing back into Xena.  
  
"I take it we bought him some time, then?" the Warrior Princess inquired.  
  
"Yes. We should now have enough time," the image noted. "I'll let Dylan know." With that, she disappeared.  
  
"Meantime, we'll let the others know," Gabrielle said. "Meantime, is there a place where she can rest for a bit?"  
  
"Gabrielle..." Xena muttered, supporting herself against a wall.  
  
"Come right over here," Trance told the warrior leading her to another bed. "Lie down here, Xena. We'll be in slipstream for a while yet."  
  
"I'll wake you when we're at his planet," the bard promised.  
  
"Yeah...right," Xena muttered drowsily as she dozed off.  
  
"I'll watch her if you want to join the others," Trance offered.  
  
"Fine," Gabrielle agreed. Then she noticed Lana enter the area. "Lana, what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing...other than my nerves about Clark." Seeing Xena on the bed, she asked, "Is she all right?"  
  
"Angela pushed herself too hard," the bard noted. "She bought Clark a few extra hours, but nearly killed herself in the process."  
  
"Will she be all right?" the brunette worried, approaching the patients.  
  
"I think so," Trance assured her. "She needs rest."  
  
_ She sacrificed that much for Clark. Fortunately, she's all right._ "Gabrielle, if you want to go let the others know what's happening, I can stay here with Clark and Trance," Lana indicated.  
  
"Okay. I'll be back in a while," Gabrielle agreed, leaving the area. "Call if anything happens."  
  
"We will," Trance concurred. "Lana, there's not going to be any change for a while."  
  
"Is it all right if I stay for a while?" Lana inquired.  
  
At that moment, Clark groaned and opened his eyes. "Uhh...."  
  
"Clark!" Lana exclaimed.  
  
"La...na," he whispered. "Whaaa???"  
  
"Shh. Don't talk," she urged, kissing his cheek. "Save your strength. We're on the way to help you."  
  
"H...elp...?" he asked. Seeing Trance, his eyes went wide.  
  
"No, it's all right, Clark. She's our friend," Lana assured him. "She's been helping us. Everyone's here with you. Lex, Chloe, Byron and your parents are upstairs. And I'm here. We're all here for you."  
  
"C...hlo...e, how...?"  
  
"She's fine," Trance added. "I'm Trance and you're safe. Just relax. We're going to help you."  
  
"Her crew mates and her, she means," Xena muttered from where she reclined. "Glad...to see ya."  
  
"Both of you relax, okay?" the medic requested. "Please."  
  
The patients both complied.  
  
"Good," she responded. Walking to the console, she paged, "Dylan?"  
  
"Yes, Trance? What's going on?"  
  
"Clark's awake but resting," she reported. "I'll let you know if anything happens."  
  
"Thanks. Dylan, out," he concluded.  
  
"I'll give you three a minute alone. All right? I'll be close by, getting something to eat. All right?"  
  
"Sure. Thank you for everything," Lana agreed.  
  
Trance smiled and departed the room.  
  
"Th...anks," he whispered.  
  
"You're welcome," Xena murmured. "Just don't die on us, okay?"  
  
He managed a weak smile and opened his eyes. Reaching up with his hand, he extended it toward his love.  
  
She choked back a sob and grinned as she took his hand. And at that moment, she experienced something she had never felt before....  
  
****   
  
[Dreamscape]  
  
There had been a feeling almost like heat...burning the air out of a blast furnace and then, the almost paradoxical burst of cool wind. Opening her eyes, she saw that she no longer stood on the Andromeda. Instead, she was in the middle of a field of swaying grass. Above her, a solid bank of gray clouds loomed. Off in the distance, their black and greenish counterparts hung back, stalking her. _ They almost seem like twister clouds. What is this? Where am I?_  
  
"Lana?"   
  
She turned to see Clark sitting on the ground behind her. His eyes were sunken and heavy. Unlike on the ship, his skin had no sign of the purple splotches. "Hey, how are you?" she queried, hugging him tightly.  
  
"Lana, don't. We don't know if this is contagious or not," he protested weakly.  
  
"According to Trance, it isn't," she informed him, holding him close to her. "It's going to be okay."  
  
"Lana, I'm dying. We both know that. Despite Dr. Dubois' help, I'm..."  
  
Her eyes sparked and she lectured, "Don't go there, Clark! Don't give up on us! We're on our way to cure you. There is a cure."  
  
"There is?" he asked, a sudden flicker of hope in his eyes.  
  
"Yes. We just need to get one thing from...your home," she stated. Seeing the confusion in his eyes, she continued, "Yes, Clark. We know where you're from. It was a planet called Krypton that blew up about twenty years ago according to Andromeda."  
  
"Lana, if we go there, there will be meteor rocks. Lots of them," he explained, suddenly turning white.  
  
"And? What about them?"  
  
"Remember when you used to wear your necklace-the one that Nell gave you?" he inquired.  
  
"Yes. What about it?"  
  
"Remember how I was always so klutzy around you in middle school and freshman year? The meteors make me sick, Lana. Ask my folks or Pete, they know," he explained.  
  
She pondered this revelation for a minute. _ How could something so small hurt him like that, especially if it's from his home world? There might be something to that. _ "Clark, I have to ask-the night that Whitney and the others put you out in the cornfield as the Scarecrow: did he put my necklace on you?"  
  
"Yes," he told her. "That's why I couldn't stop them from doing that to me. When Lex helped me, the necklace was lost in the field and I was okay again."  
  
She sighed. _ So, by going there to get the cure, we may kill him in the process anyhow._ She looked at him and assured him, "I need to share this information with the others, but I'll be back. Meantime, can you keep fighting until I get back?"  
  
He motioned her close to him and kissed her. "I will. Tell Mom and Dad I'll be okay. I love you."  
  
"I love you too," she replied, smiling warmly for his benefit even as she started to pull back.  
  
****   
  
[Andromeda]  
  
When Lana's senses returned to her, she once again stood in the Andromeda's Medical section. She saw Trance and Xena looking at her curiously. "I'm back," she told them.  
  
"Where did you go? Your eyes went blank as soon as you held his hand," Trance wondered.  
  
"I was in his mind somehow. There was this grassy meadow and the sky was gray. Clark was there and he told me something really important. Can I talk with your captain? It's urgent. It could be a matter of life or death for Clark," the teenager recounted.  
  
Trance nodded and went back over to the console. "Dylan, this is Trance."  
  
"Yes, Trance?" Dylan replied. "What's going on down there?"  
  
"One of our guests has some information about Clark that she wants to speak with you about. My sense is that it's a private matter," the medical officer noted.  
  
"Can we get his parents into the room too?" Lana requested. "They would know this information as well."  
  
"Yes, we can do that. I'll send Rommie down to the observation deck to get them. Meantime, Trance, can you bring Lana with you to my office, please? The others will meet us there. Dylan, out," he concluded.  
  
Trance switched off the communications console and advised her guests, "Xena, while you're resting, can you keep an eye on Clark? Lana, I'll take you to see Dylan, all right?"  
  
"I can watch him," the warrior agreed. "Just get to the bottom of this mess."  
  
"We'll do that," Lana promised as she followed her golden-skinned guide out of the door.  
  
****  
  
[Dylan's office-Fifteen minutes later]  
  
Dylan sat anxiously behind his desk and looked at all of the artifacts on the wall in front of him. _ So many different races with so many individual aspects. I wonder how much more there is to learn?_  
  
The AI's image appeared next to him. "Don't worry, Dylan. We'll find those materials for him."  
  
"I'm sure," he concurred, sipping on a cup of Terrazian coffee. "Yet, we still have a lot to learn about our Kryptonian guest."  
  
"Indeed we do. Still we do have a great deal in the archives about his planet and society. It was one of the greatest societies known to history before they vanished in the explosion," she replied factually, folding her arms across her chest.  
  
At that moment, the door slid open, allowing Rommie and the Kents to enter the area.   
  
"I trust you two are comfortable? Lana and Trance will be joining us in just a second," he indicated.  
  
"Your ship is amazing and we really appreciate everything, Captain Hunt," Martha replied. "But, you'll pardon us if we're still concerned about Clark."  
  
"Of course," Dylan responded. "We'll be there in just under an hour."  
  
Jonathan smiled. "Once again, thank you."  
  
The captain nodded, keeping a supportive smile on his face.  
  
Just then, the door slid open, allowing Lana and Trance to enter the room.   
  
"Please take a seat," he invited. When they all had done so, he asked, "Okay, Lana, what's on your mind?"  
  
"Well, I was with Trance and Clark downstairs in the medical area. I was talking to Clark...yes, he was awake briefly. Anyhow, I took his hand and something weird happened," she started.  
  
"Define 'weird'," Jonathan probed.  
  
"Well..." she winced, thinking about how to say this. "You don't know this, but I'm a mutant. I can see and talk to spirits and people somewhere out there. Well, Clark's alive and yet, I was transported to this place somewhere between a dreamland and the next world, I guess you can say. Anyhow, he told me about the meteor rocks and how they make him sick. Is that true?"  
  
The two parents looked anxiously at each other. Finally, Martha admitted, "The meteors have always made him sick."  
  
"Like my necklace?" Lana sighed moodily.  
  
"Yes," Jonathan told her. "That's why Clark was always...well...shy around you, you might say."  
  
"Among other reasons," his wife reminded him. "Anyhow, yes, they do make him sick."  
  
"Clark wanted me to point out that going near Krypton might kill him," Lana continued. "Is that true?"  
  
"Rommie?" Dylan asked.  
  
The android processed information for a moment before replying. "We will have to come out of slipstream at a safe distance from the accident site anyhow. Once we get there, I'll run tests on the amounts of radiation and verify that our shield strength is sufficient."  
  
"That would be great," Lana agreed.  
  
"Can't you just put him in a lead-lined room?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Normally, that would be the case," Rommie pointed out. "However, as Lana is correctly indicating, we will be in space littered with the debris from the planetary cataclysm-the meteors themselves. Given the tremendous amount of radiation in the system from those rocks, the odds are indeed very much against Clark."  
  
"So what do we do?" Martha wondered, panicking over yet another potential fatal factor hanging over her son's head.  
  
"Perhaps, Deirdre can take him into the mists?" Trance asked. "Just the same way she brought us to Earth and back?"  
  
"Maybe." The AI's image pondered this possibility for a second. "We will keep that possibility in mind. Perhaps, David could also be of service."  
  
"Okay, People," Dylan said, trying to be positive. "Let's go with it. We have 45 minutes...."  
  
"Actually 38 minutes, 36 seconds," Rommie corrected.  
  
"38 and a half minutes until we reach the system. I'll be in Command. Rommie, can you go with the Kents and Lana back to Medical? Trance, find David and let him know what's happening," the captain requested, standing back up. "Everyone, I'll see you on the Observation Deck in 35 minutes. Thanks."  
  
With that, the others got up and departed the area, preparing for their first view of Clark's home system.  
  
  
  
Chapter 11  
  
Even as the meeting went on in Dylan's office, Dave walked into Medical and looked at the two patients. _ What the heck is Xena doing here? Is she...?_  
  
"I'm fine," she muttered. "Angela helped Clark and took a lot of us both."  
  
"How's she doing?" he asked.  
  
"She'll be fine," she assured him. "We just need rest."  
  
"Pro...fessor?" Clark whispered.  
  
"Clark, good to see you awake. Don't stress too much, all right? We'll get you through this," he stated.  
  
The farm boy smiled silently and nodded.  
  
At that moment, Lana, Trance, and Clark's parents entered the area.   
  
"Professor Dubois, how are you?" Lana asked.  
  
"I'm hanging in there," Dave responded. "How are you all doing?"  
  
"We just had a talk with Dylan," Trance noted. "Can we have a talk, David? I want to make sure you're okay."  
  
"Sure," he agreed. "We'll be back."  
  
****  
  
Five minutes later, Trance and Dave walked into an empty room and sat down.  
  
"How are you doing...really?" she inquired.  
  
"Okay. I'm doing better now that I saw that Clark's awake," he responded.   
  
"Thank Angie for that," she informed him. "She really gave him a boost. It's okay to worry about them, you know."  
  
"Yeah, I know. Trance, umm...sorry about that crack about your skin color before."  
  
She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I've changed. But then again, so have you. You seem darker yet in control."  
  
He nodded. "Thank Lousain for that one."  
  
"Lousain?"  
  
"The wizard, one of the three who sicced the Magog on Earth in the first place. After you all left, we had to go into the heart of darkness and deal with him," he explained, staring intensely at her. "Then, my family was killed when a bomb went off under them. And well...I found out that my former girlfriend is actually my twin sister. This happens every day, right?"  
  
She sighed. _ He's been through so much. No wonder he's so angry. Still, the fact that he's still hanging there shows that he's strong. _ "We may need your help when we get to Krypton."  
  
"Just tell me what you want me to do," he indicated readily.   
  
"Okay." She grinned warmly and rubbed his shoulder. "Let's find Deirdre and get ready. We have about fifteen minutes." With that, they walked off to find the priestess.  
  
****   
  
In the observation area, the others waited to find out what was going on. Adam sat, scratching his head, trying to consider the possibilities. Emma sat meditating and monitoring Dave's moods. Lex and Chloe sat quietly after coming back from a walk of that part of the ship. In the far corner, Byron and Miranda talked in low voices expressing their concerns.  
  
Then, Andromeda's image appeared in their midst. "Everyone, I have some news."  
  
"What's going on?" Lex demanded.  
  
"We will be coming out of slipstream in just fifteen minutes. Dylan's on his way. Meantime, Chloe, we'll need your help as well once we get there."  
  
"You bet," the reporter agreed, a determined look across her face.  
  
"Meantime, Dr. Kane, would you mind following me? We could use your help in maximizing our shields to reduce certain risk factors to Clark," the AI requested.  
  
"Absolutely," Adam agreed and departed along with the image heading for Engineering.  
  
"I wonder how he's doing?" Byron asked hopefully. "With these preparations, I guess he's still with us."  
  
Emma opened her eyes and reported, "According to Professor Dubois, yes, he's still with us."  
  
"How's Uncle Dave?" Miranda wondered.  
  
"He's doing okay," the psionic advised. "He's with the medical officer looking for Deirdre."  
  
"And Lana?"  
  
"She's with Clark and his parents," Emma continued.   
  
At that moment, the door slid open, allowing Dylan to enter. "How's everyone? We should be coming up on the system in a few minutes."  
  
"We're fine, Captain," Chloe replied. "And ready to help out."  
  
"That's great because we'll all need to work together," Dylan agreed, punching a button on the comm. Unit. "Harper?"  
  
"Yeah, Boss?" Harper asked.  
  
"How are we doing on those shields?"  
  
"Adam's a big help. Give us ten minutes," the engineer concluded, signing off.  
  
"Trance?" the captain called.  
  
"Yes, Dylan?"   
  
"How are we doing down there?" he asked.  
  
"Clark's holding steady. Xena's awake. Deirdre's waiting here with David and Lana," she replied.  
  
"Very good. Beka?"  
  
"Everything's great here. We have twelve minutes and forty-five seconds left," the first officer stated.  
  
"Thank you. Let me know if anything happens. Dylan out," the captain concluded, shutting off the unit.  
  
"What do you mean 'hazardous conditions'?" Miranda queried.  
  
"There's an additional risk within the system," Dylan indicated. "That's why I have Dr. Kane working with my engineer. Don't worry; everything's going to be all right. Meantime, Miss Sullivan, please join me in Command."  
  
"It's going to be okay, everyone," Chloe assured her companions.  
  
"Take good notes for us, Sullivan," the billionaire requested.  
  
"I'm the eyes and ears of Smallville," she quipped.  
  
"Not to mention the mouth," Lex countered.  
  
She shot him a dirty look. _ Ooh...I'm going to get you, Luthor. _  
  
"Ahem," Dylan's voice called from the hall.  
  
"Better get moving, Sullivan," the businessman told her.  
  
She stomped out, following the captain. Her mind firmly set on the situation in front of her, leaving the others to hope for the best.  
  
Click here for the next part 


	4. Legacies Part 4

Legacies (Part 4)  
David J. Duncan  
November 2002  


For notes & such, please see Part 1  
  
Chapter 12  
  
[Command deck]  
  
Beka and Tyr performed their tasks. As the former had told Dylan, everything was in order. The clock ticked down towards reentry.   
  
Beka worked the controls, maneuvering the ship through the slipstream currents. For the previous three hours, she had kept them all on course. Now, at T-minus 3:25-she was relieved that they were going to be there any minute.  
  
"So, how do you think our guest is going to react to his home planet?" Tyr wondered.  
  
She shrugged. "Who knows? I can imagine being raised on Earth, he probably doesn't remember much of the place."  
  
"He's aware of his heritage," Andromeda pointed out from the main screen. "I think this visit will cause a lot of introspection for him. This is where he was born and spent the first two years of his life. That in itself is something worth considering."  
  
At that moment, Dylan and Chloe entered Command.  
  
Chloe looked around aghast at the area. The computer systems seemed so sophisticated. In front of them through the glass, she could see the multicolored threaded tube that was the slipstream. "This is so cool. It's like something out of Star Trek!"  
  
"Excuse me?" the Nietzschean queried, raising an eyebrow.  
  
The reporter flushed ever so slightly. _ I really do have to remember to think about what I'm saying._ "Yeah, it's a TV show where I come from."  
  
Andromeda smiled. "Ah, yes...ancient Earth entertainment created by Gene Roddenberry. It's a rather unique vision of the future. Is that what you used to call "science fiction"?"  
  
"Uh...yeah. Well, we still do actually," Chloe admitted.  
  
_ I wonder what he would think of us?_ "On another note, is everything set?" Dylan asked.  
  
"We're almost set to reenter normal space," Beka advised. "How are our preparations?"  
  
"Good question," Dylan responded. "Andromeda, how are we doing?"  
  
"Harper and Dr. Kane just finished their modifications to my shields. David and Deirdre are standing by in Medical along with Trance," the AI pointed out.  
  
The captain nodded and pushed a button. "Harper?"  
  
"Yeah, Boss?"  
  
"Ready to test those shields?"  
  
"Just give the word, Dylan and we geniuses will put on our show," the engineer bragged.  
  
In the background, Adam's sigh was very audible causing Dylan to chuckle and bringing smiles to the others on the bridge.   
  
"We should've warned him, right?" Tyr remarked dryly, rolling his eyes. "The Little Man is going to drive him insane."  
  
"Tyr," Beka reprimanded but couldn't help smiling herself. _ Sometimes Harper's ego is a little much._  
  
"Right. Turn the modifiers on now. We're coming out in just under a minute. Out," the captain concluded.  
  
"Dylan, we're there. Bringing her out...in 5...4...3...2...1...mark!" the first officer stated, pulling back on the sticks.  
  
"Ready, Miss Sullivan?" Dylan inquired.  
  
She nodded. _ Okay, Clark, time to see where you come from._  
  
Suddenly, the blur repeated itself. The lines outside became less distinct. In a flash, they were back in normal space. In front of the ship, a thick layer of dust obscured the view. Pushing through the dust, the Great Rao system came into view. Three planets were a good distance away from the Andromeda on the outer edge. At the system's center, Rao, a large crimson-star, burned brightly, occasionally sending flares out into space. Around the star, a belt of glowing green asteroids rotated as if it protected the former.  
  
"Ladies and gents, welcome to Krypton," Beka announced.   
  
_ Oh wow._ Chloe marveled at the sight in front of her. "So where's the planet?"  
  
"That's it," the AI's image indicated. "The asteroids are the remains from the explosion. Clark got out of there just before it exploded."  
  
The young woman gaped. _ His home...his parents...gone. I've heard Lana tell the story about the meteors killing her parents. People talk about how the meteor shower changed Smallville. Here was a planet totally wiped out in the same disaster. He's so lucky that the Kents found him.   
_   
"Are you all right?" Beka asked.  
  
"Uh...yeah. I'm fine," Chloe said haltingly, still stunned by this revelation unfolding in front of her. "And those are meteor rocks out there?"  
  
"If you mean Kryptonite, yes-they are the same materials that landed near your town," the AI reported. "And that is where our missing mineral is located. Out there."  
  
"How's our shielding doing?" Dylan asked.  
  
"With the enhancements, we're blocking out about 85% of the radiation. The protection in Medical is blocking out the rest. Our environmental suits won't block out the effects of the kryptonite at such close range," Andromeda continued.  
  
"So we can't get it...is that what you're saying?" Chloe asked, her exasperation showing on her face. "Well, I'm not about to let my friend die! Give me an oxygen mask or something and I'll go out there! I've been around those stupid things for the last ten years, all right? Besides, there's always this...." She focused and changed into her radiation form.   
  
"Dylan, she has a point," Tyr agreed. "The radiation has already affected her and the others from the town. Perhaps they should be the ones to get the mineral."  
  
The captain considered his options. Finally, he had to agree with his weapons officer. _ Maybe they might be able to last longer out there._ "All right. Medical, this is Dylan. Rommie, send Miss Lang to Command. We need her help on something."  
  
****  
  
Ten minutes later, Lana walked onto the bridge and, as with Chloe, was stunned by the facilities in front of her. "This is amazing," she remarked.  
  
"Thank you," Andromeda replied pleasantly. "I was wondering if you would be up to helping us."  
  
She exchanged looks with her classmate before answering, "Sure. Anything I can do to help Clark. What's so drastic?"  
  
"Take a look out the window, Lana," Chloe told her.  
  
Lana stared through the front portal and saw the remnants of the planet there. "Is that it?"  
  
"That's Clark's home world apparently, or what's left of it. I'm still taking this in too, but that's it. Weird color for a sun, isn't it?"  
  
"Not all stars are yellow, ladies," Tyr chuckled from his post.   
  
"There are many kind of stars and systems. Krypton had heavier gravity than Earth. The sun is much more intense," Andromeda pointed out.  
  
"So, it's our sun that gives Clark his powers?" Chloe asked.  
  
"Indeed," the AI concurred. "According to my scans, since we entered the system, he's now completely normal and slipping faster than projected. At this rate, I'd say we have four hours at best."  
  
Staring down at one particularly large chunk, Lana saw two glowing figures looking back at her. _ Who are they? They want my attention._ "Andromeda, is there anyone else here?"  
  
"No. Why?"  
  
"I see two people on that rock down there. Maybe they're trying to help us," Lana indicated. "Where can we put our suits on?"  
  
"This way," Dylan replied, guiding them through the door and toward the supplies. _ We don't need any other problems. Just be careful both of you._  
  
  
****  
  
Twenty minutes later, the two teenagers flew toward the meteor belt. Chloe, in her radiation form, withstood the vacuum of space easily. Lana, in her environmental suit, tagged along on the end of a line being pulled by her companion.   
  
Pushed by their concern, they quickly reached the large asteroid that Lana had pointed out earlier. Landing there, they looked around.  
  
"Start scanning. Time's going here," the radioactive mutant urged nervously, feeling the seconds speeding by.  
  
Her companion nodded and took out the scanning device. Remembering how Dylan and Rommie had showed her how to use it, she pushed the orange button and began moving around. "The radiation's making it hard to find it."  
  
"Lana, can't you focus the range or something?"   
  
"Andromeda did that before we left," Lana pointed out. _ We can't give up. Clark's counting on us._ Just then, she saw the couple standing in front of them again. "Chloe! Look in front of us!"  
  
"What? I don't see anything," Chloe pointed out.  
  
Lana grasped her hand and repeated, "Look."  
  
As the other hand grabbed hers, the reporter saw the two figures. "Who are they?"  
  
"I don't know," Lana said.   
  
The two figures approached them. As they came closer, it was clear that they were a man and a woman. He stood about six foot-four with black hair and intense blue eyes. She was five-five with brown hair, fair skin, and brown eyes.   
  
"You will find what you seek if you follow us," the man indicated, motioning for them to follow.  
  
Even though they didn't know what to think, they did so.   
  
The ghost-man stopped and pointed at the ground. "The blue stone, do you see it?"  
  
Lana nodded and picked up the quartz-like material. Placing it in her suit's belt pouch, she expressed, "Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome. Thank you for helping Kal-El," the woman told them as they vanished.  
  
"Kal...?" Chloe asked. "Who's that?"  
  
"That's Clark's birth name," Lana noted.  
  
"His what?"  
  
"His birth name. You were unconscious when Lex, Miranda, and I found out. It was that night at the Blackwell farm when everything went crazy. He's only been Clark since he was adopted," Lana continued,  
  
_ I see. Another of the great Clark Kent mysteries. Hmmm...even when I see everything, he manages to keep something hidden. But that's a matter for another time._ "We need to get this stuff back to the others."  
  
In her helmet, Lana heard Dylan ask, "How are you both doing out there?"  
  
"We have the mineral, Captain. We'll be back soon," she promised. She took another look around. _ Just as he said, the explosion killed his parents too. Being here proves it, but the coincidence is unbelievable. I can't believe we're here. We're actually here. Maybe we might be standing on where his home was. We'll never know, I guess._  
  
"Ready?" Chloe asked.  
  
"Yeah, now I am. It's too bad that Clark can't be here, you know?" Lana responded, throwing her the line.  
  
"It is something, isn't it?" the reporter queried. "Being here, I mean."  
  
"Yeah, it is."  
  
"Well, let's go. Clark's waiting," Chloe pointed out and started back toward the ship, towing her companion behind her.  
  
  
  
Chapter 13   
  
Lex paced about the hangar next to the Eureka Maru shaking his head. Since they had come into the system, everyone had been leaving him behind, executing plans without considering if he would want to help them. _ They know I would give anything to help him too. Just because I don't have powers._  
  
"Lex?" Emma asked, approaching him.  
  
"Oh, Emma. What's going on?" he responded.  
  
"I was going to ask you the same thing," she told him. "You seem angry over something."  
  
He smirked, wanting to tell a lie and cover himself, but, given that she could read his moods, he thought better of it. "I want to help. Clark's dying in there. Worse still, my girlfriend and business partner are out there risking themselves and I can't be there."  
  
"Adam and I feel the same way, Lex," she replied earnestly. "Do you really think we like watching others trying to save someone we care about? I can tell you it's eating away at Adam. I'm glad Trance has him working with him. Meantime, I'm monitoring Byron and the Kents. They're depressed. And then, there are Dave and Miranda. You're not alone."  
  
"I know," he agreed. "I just don't like to see Chloe sticking her neck out like that. It's hard enough watching Clark and his parents. I just don't want to lose Chloe too."  
  
"You won't," Dylan assured him entering along with Rommie and Beka. "They're on their way back right now."  
  
On the other side of the hangar, the doors slid open to allow Chloe and Lana to walk into the area.  
  
Lex ran over. "Chloe, what were you thinking?"  
  
She radiated off and wondered. "About what? I was helping my friend, Luthor. What do you think I was doing?"  
  
"You could have let me know where you were going!" he stormed.  
  
"I wasn't aware I needed a permission slip to save my friend!" she snapped.  
  
"We really don't have time for this now, guys," Lana cut in as she handed the blue crystal to Rommie. "This is the element. Can you get it to the lab?"  
  
"On the way," the android stated, motioning Beka out the door. "I really...uh...think I need help with this if you get my meaning." She motioned to the two lovers quarreling.  
  
"Ah, right," Dylan, Emma, and Lana concurred, following her out of the room.  
  
After the others left, Chloe shook her head. "I guess you're happy now, aren't you?"  
  
"Excuse me?" he bellowed in exasperation. "I don't know where you are, but you could have been seriously hurt out there!"  
  
She snorted, "I'm a big girl, Lex. Clark needs that stuff-whatever it is. Besides, I'm not made of glass and neither is Lana. It's about time that you and Clark realized that."  
  
He shook his head, torn between anxiety and nerves. As a Luthor, he didn't back down to anyone. On the other hand, he loved the feisty blond reporter. "I know how Clark feels, Chloe. We've both lost a lot. How much, I never understood until I looked out the observatory window up there. You're everything to me-you know that?"  
  
She took a deep breath and agreed, "I know, Lex. You just need to trust that I can take care of myself and pull my end of the load. Okay?"  
  
He nodded. "I'll adjust to the idea if you help me to do it. Deal?"  
  
She smiled and allowed her eyes to sparkle into his. "Deal. Now c'mere, Billionaire Boy." With that, they kissed and all was right again with their corner of the universe.  
  
****  
  
Jonathan and Martha looked out the observation window at the debris floating in space. At some point in the past, Clark had lived there-breathed his first breath and took his initial steps along his life's journey.  
  
"It's so foreboding," she remarked, "seeing the carnage out there."  
  
"Martha, it's the nature of things. Fortunately, Clark was sent away before anything worse happened to him. This place is special though. Now we know where he came from."  
  
"All of this is still sinking in," she declared. "First, the news about Clark. Then, there was the trip on this spaceship. And we're looking at his home world. Jonathan, there were people down there just like us-people who are now gone. An entire world died on that day."  
  
"Not an entire world, Martha. Clark survived. That just makes him all the more special," he remarked, embracing her.  
  
"Who knew that we'd be preserving the culture of an entire world when we took him in?" she asked considering the implication of what their son meant to the universe. "Never mind that he's our child...." She teared up. "What if he doesn't make it?"  
  
He turned her gently to face him. "Stop talking like that, all right? David got the best help for Clark. I'm sure they working wonders down there. Everything's going to be fine."  
  
"It has to be....I don't know what I would do if he didn't make it," she sobbed. "I mean, this catastrophe has caused enough damage both here and to our town. The folks who remember that day should be here right now."  
  
He agreed, "It certainly changes your perspective. That's for sure. There was one good thing out of all that mess though. Clark found us. And that's why he's not going to die here."  
  
"I know," she agreed, trying to keep a firm expression on her face. "I'm praying as hard as I can."  
  
He tightened his grip on her, providing her with as much sanctuary as he could. Even as he did this, he still dealt with those same feelings. For her, however, he would remain strong. For them all, he would do so.  
  
****   
  
Meantime, the Medical area buzzed with activity. Emma, Dave and Xena watched Clark's vital signs, noting any signs of decline. In the past ten minutes, the young man's condition had leveled off a bit, giving them all hope.  
  
Across the room, Adam, Trance, and Rommie worked with the ship's computer to combine the elements in the right proportions for the cure. Despite the care in preserving the information in the Commonwealth's archives, the many transfers of the said files had corrupted the directions at the process's end. Fortunately, the android was able to deduce the combination.  
  
At his bedside, Lana hovered, keeping guard against anything or anyone who would harm him. She brushed his brow with her hand, keeping the hair out of his eyes and noted how soft his skin was in this environment. _ It's unbelievable what different conditions will do._  
  
"Lana?" Clark whispered.  
  
"I'm here," she assured him, kissing his cheek. "They're mixing up an antidote for you right now. Hang on."  
  
"It's done," Trance stated, walking over with a beaker in her hand. "Here's what he needs. Clark?"  
  
"Y...yes," he whispered. "Help me up, Professor?"  
  
"Sure," Dave agreed, supporting him under the shoulders.   
  
The golden skinned alien put the container to his lips and poured the blue contents into his mouth. "There. Anything?"  
  
"N..no. Still feel weak," Clark stated.  
  
Lana looked at the others, her fear flaring inside of her. "Why hasn't he changed?"  
  
Rommie took his wrist and scanned him. "There's something happening."  
  
Then he doubled over, his face scrunched in agony. "Arrrgh!"  
  
"Clark!" Lana exclaimed, her eyes growing wide. "What's happening?"  
  
"He's been ripped apart. Why is that?" Dave stated, looking at the crewmembers in the room.  
  
"The plague is accelerating in response to the antidote. For some reason, however, the medicine is not working as it should," Rommie noted.  
  
"F...ir...e. I feel as though I'm on fire," the Kryptonian patient muttered painfully.  
  
His girlfriend hugged him trying to reassure him and stared at Dave.  
  
"Isn't there anything you can do?" the professor bellowed, feeling his own pain and worse, the Child surging within him.  
  
"He's beyond medical help now," a voice announced from thin air.  
  
Lana looked and saw the spirits from the asteroid standing there. "Appear to everyone else please!"  
  
"Who are you talking to?" Trance wondered.  
  
Dave frowned and scanned the area. There's someone there all right. Two some ones. "You heard her," he hissed. "Come out. Next time the question's asked, it'll be my Other who poses it!"  
  
The spirits made themselves visible to everyone in each detail. "No need for such threats, especially when it concerns our son."  
  
"Your...what?" Dave queried.   
  
"Yes," the woman answered. "Our son, Kal-El. I'm Lara and this is my husband, Jor-El. We're his parents."   
  
  
Chapter 14  
  
The occupants of the medical area stared in disbelief at the woman and her husband who had just appeared in their midst. It was bad enough that Clark clutched his middle in agony. It was bad enough that his readings dipped and spiked like a yo-yo on steroids. But this too?  
  
"Jonathan and Martha Kent are his parents. What gives?" Adam wondered.  
  
"His adopted parents," Lana noted. "Emma, can you do anything for him?"  
  
The empath concentrated and created an image of a blissful paradise for him.  
  
"Thank you for helping him. All of you," Lara expressed. "As for your question, Jor-El?"  
  
"He was born here," Jor-El explained. "We're his parents."  
  
Dylan gave the ghostly man a skeptical look.  
  
Andromeda's AI image appeared and concurred. "He's right, Dylan. I've matched their images with the Commonwealth's records of the last Kryptonian elite records. They are who they say they are."  
  
"So do you know anything about this plague?" Dave inquired sharply.  
  
"Yes. The cure you gave him was correct, but he is unable to recover by himself. He needs the help of another," Jor-El stated.   
  
"Another?" Adam queried. "Who is this other?"  
  
"No man can live as an island. Just so, no man can survive on his own. Although we Kryptonians are a stolid race of people, we do acknowledge the power of love to heal. Since Krypton has been destroyed and our society with it, we need to start anew. Kal-El-or, as you refer to him, Clark-is our last lifeline. He is the last hope of our people."  
  
"But there's nothing here. I won't leave him here alone!" Lana protested indignantly. "I'll die first!"  
  
Lara smiled gently. "Lana, that is your name, isn't it? That is the farthest thing from our minds."  
  
"I believe they are speaking of the Life Bond. Kryptonians usually seek companionship with those of like lineage. However, I am wondering, Minister El, to whom would Clark bond himself since there are no more of his kind left?" Andromeda's image puzzled.  
  
"There is another way to form a bond. When the pieces of our planet hit yours, they caused damage and death, correct?" Jor-El asked.  
  
"Yes, one of the fragments killed my parents," Lana pointed out, bowing her head.  
  
The former minister managed a smile. "Yes, you have a spiritual bond with us through your parents, my Dear. You are now the last hope of the Kryptonian people."  
  
"Me?" Lana wondered aghast, looking at the others. "Why me?"  
  
Dave chuckled. "I think I know why. Sir, may I?" Seeing the spirit nod, the professor continued, "There are three reasons. First, just as Clark's life was redefined by Krypton's destruction, so too was yours. Then, there's the fact that Clark loves you. Finally, and this is really going to sound corny, but every Adam needs an Eve...."  
  
"That's correct," Lara agreed. "You two were destined to be together."  
  
The teenaged girl looked at both her professor and the ghostly couple. "So you're saying that in order to save him, I need to be his wife?"  
  
Trance replied, "In Earth terms, yes-that's it exactly."  
  
"Although, a betrothal is all that is needed at this point to start the sharing process," Rommie added. "Minister El, I realize that usually you had a place for such occasions, however since it was destroyed, I'll need to recreate it here onboard. Will that be sufficient?"  
  
"It will be," the minister agreed. "If she agrees."  
  
Lana looked at Clark's still form. This was all so sudden. Weren't college kids supposed to have fun and worry about midterms and other mundane things? _ In our case, it's the next bad guy coming at us or some other weird thing. I''ve known how I've felt since elementary school. I love him. I always have. I always will._ She kissed him on the lips and nodded. Looking at the spirits, she answered, "I'll be honored to be his wife if he'll have me."  
  
Emma dropped the illusion for a minute. "Clark?"  
  
Clark winced and looked at Lana whose eyes shone into his. "La...na, what?"  
  
She sighed and got down on her knees. "I know it's the guy who usually does this, but, Clark, ummm....will you...uh....will you marry me?"  
  
That comment made even the pained-wracked patient stare at her. "Pain's...bad. I thought I heard you...ask me...to marry you."  
  
"I did," she affirmed, managing a nervous smile and looking at him anxiously. "Well?"  
  
"Pro...fessor?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, Clark?" Dave replied.  
  
"Pinch me. I must be dreaming," he requested. "Either that or...Emma's... illusions..."  
  
"Nope. This is real," the medievalist informed him, pinching him.  
  
"Hey... I felt... that. How?"   
  
Dave exchanged looks with Xena and then remarked, "That's a good question. How did you feel that?"  
  
"After you're feeling better, I'll explain, Clark," Rommie assured him. "Meantime, I'll get to work on that room if you're agreeable to it."   
  
He nodded. "If...she'll...ha..ve...me...yes....Lana....I want...you to...be....my...wife."  
  
"The vital signs are slumping. He's going!" Xena announced, staring at the fluctuating readings.  
  
Emma asked Andromeda. "Can you bring up an image of that place?"  
  
"On screen," the AI responded, accessing the room's appearance from her archives.  
  
"Thanks," the empath replied, generating the image in everyone's minds of the Kryptonian wedding chamber. "How's this?"  
  
"It will do," Lara agreed. "Although we can't see it for ourselves, we see it in your mind. Thank you."  
  
"Hang on," Dave urged, creating a portal and guiding Lex, Chloe, Byron, Eve, and the Kents through it from the different parts of the ship. After Emma had inserted the image in their minds too, he added, "I think we're ready."  
  
"Almost," Lana interjected, focusing with Emma and Lara. Her form shimmered and found herself standing in a flowing white gown with a golden tiara and fine jewelry. "Wow. This was yours?"  
  
"My joining gown and jewels, Lana. Now we don't have much time," Lara pointed out gently.  
  
"Much time for what?" Jonathan asked. "Who are these people? What's going on?"  
  
"Ummm...Jonathan, Martha, see the spirits over there? Those are Clark's birth parents. Jor-El, Lara, these are Jonathan and Martha Kent, Clark's step parents," Dave pointed out.  
  
"Thank you for keeping him safe all of these years. We are grateful," Lara expressed. "We had no idea who our son would find. Thank the stars he found you."  
  
"Indeed. You have our thanks," Jor-El added. "As for what's going on. The cure's been administered, but the joining needs to take place to save Kal-El's life."  
  
Chloe deduced what was going on. "So, they need to do some sort of bonding ritual to spark him. Is that it? How sci-fi...."  
  
Lex scratched his head still trying to take this all in. _ It figures that someone would figure a way to get them together...FINALLY._  
  
"That's exactly it. I want to do this, Mr. and Mrs. Kent, of course, we'll need to repeat this on Earth. I hope you don't mind having me for a daughter-in-law," Lana said hopefully.  
  
Martha smiled. "Welcome to the family. As long as Clark agrees...."  
  
"Well, Son?" the farmer asked.  
  
"D...o...you need to ask? Yes...." The patient managed a smile.  
  
"Lex, can you and Chloe stand with us?" Lana asked urgently.  
  
"C'mon, Luthor, let's do it," the reporter stated.  
  
His brow perked and he allowed a smirk on his face. _ Yeah, she'd best be careful. I might be tempted to take that as a "yes"._ "Fine."  
  
After their friends and Clark's parents had stood by them, Lana picked up Clark's hands and looked at her soon-to-be in-laws. "Okay."  
  
"Kal-El of Krypton and Earth, do you take this woman to be your companion, loyal always?" Jor-El asked.  
  
Martha and Jonathan looked warmly at their son waiting for his answer.  
  
"Y...yes," Clark whispered, his eyes fluttering as he tried to stay with it.  
  
"Lana Lang of Earth, do you take this man to be your companion, loyal always?" Lara queried.  
  
"Yes, I do," Lana agreed without hesitation allowing her eyes to shine into his. "I've loved him since we first met and always will."  
  
"Very well. Hold onto his hands then, Daughter," Jor-El requested, placing his hands on hers and Clark's.   
  
She felt an energy shoot through her. Somehow, she felt as if something were flowing into her and something else was leaving her and going to Clark. _ What is this?_  
  
In her mind, she heard Lara say, _ This is the joining, Daughter. You and Kal-El...Clark... are now one. Your energies and essences belong to one another.  
  
I wouldn't have it any other way._ Lana smiled and held on tight, hoping for the best.  
  
Around them, their friends watched anxiously as well.  
  
For two minutes, this exchange continued. Then Clark inhaled deeply and awoke. Somehow, his splotches had disappeared. "Lana," he realized. "I just had the strangest dream....We just got married. Well, sort of...."  
  
"It's no dream, Clark. We did," she told him. "You agreed to it. Do you regret it?"  
  
He grinned and shook his head. "No, I don't. I wasn't planning on asking this soon. We'll have to repeat the service on Earth though."  
  
"Well, if we did it by your schedule, Clark, she'd be a spinster waiting for you," Lex gibed, rubbing him on the shoulder and grinning. "Good to see you up and around there."  
  
_ Thank you, Eli._ Eve smiled and expressed to herself.  
  
_ Thank God._ "I'll say," Chloe concurred, her eyes shining. "Promise me you won't do anything that rash again, Clark."  
  
"I won't," he vowed, knowing that she was right. While his heart was in the right place, he had learned a lesson about his own invulnerability and that his friends were right-some times caution is called for. "Mom? Dad?"  
  
"Right here, Clark!" Martha exclaimed, hugging him. "Oh, it's so good to hold you."  
  
"Absolutely," Jonathan agreed, joining her for a minute. "Clark, there are two other people you need to meet. The people there are your parents...your birth parents."  
  
"We came back to help you, Kal-El," Jor-El revealed. "And to say we're proud of you. Remember us."  
  
"Always. Thank you," Clark replied smiling. "I love you both."  
  
The two ghostly parents smiled warmly back at him as they disappeared.  
  
"Dr. Kane, I'm glad you were on the case," Clark told him.  
  
Adam shook his head. "Thank Andromeda. I was only assisting, but it's good to see you back, Clark. You just took on a big commitment there."  
  
He smiled and took Lana's hand. Somehow, he knew that they were meant to be together no matter what. "I know, but she's the one. It's good to be back."  
  
"Good to have you back," Dave concurred.  
  
Everyone just talked for a minute, allowing the scene to soak in and the planning to commence for the next stage on Earth.  
  
To see the next part, click here 


	5. Legacies Part 5

Legacies (Part 5)  
David J. Duncan  
November 2002  


For notes & such, please see Part 1  
  
Chapter 15 [Several hours later]  
  
Lana stood at the window on the Observation deck looking at the flotsam left from Krypton's explosion. _ I can't believe this is happening to me. First, all of the stuff with Clark's near-death. Now, I find out that I'm to be the Eve for a new group of people. This is so overwhelming._ She considered the bracelets around her wrists-the symbols of a joined consort. Andromeda had replicated them from the archival records. _ Granted, we'll repeat the ceremony so our friends can all be there. I just wish we had more time to prepare and enjoy all of these things._  
  
"You have the rest of your lives and beyond," she heard her mother say.  
  
Turning, she saw her parents appear. "Mom, Dad, I wish you could have been there."  
  
"We were, Sweetie," her father assured her. "Jor-El brought us with him and Lara, but asked that we remain in the background until now. We witnessed the whole thing."  
  
Laura smiled. "You two will exchange your vows on Earth as well. We always knew you were special. Now, to be the mother of a new race of people."  
  
"That's a big load," Lana sighed. "I don't know if I'm up to it."  
  
"Just be yourself and you'll do fine, Lana. You're a good friend and a warm person," her mother continued.   
  
"I just wish that you were here. Well, you know what I mean," their daughter told them.  
  
"We know and rest assured, we'll be here for you always. Now Clark is waiting for you in the Command place. Go to him," Lewis stated as he and his wife disappeared.  
  
****  
  
Meanwhile, Dylan stood in front of the Command deck window staring into space. As with Clark, he too had seen his world disappear only to rebuild it 300 years later with his new crew and now, these friends. It never ends. We always have to rebuild no matter what.  
  
"Penny for your thoughts, Dylan?" Andromeda wondered. "That is what they say on Earth, isn't it?"  
  
"They do," he indicated. "I was just thinking about the black hole."  
  
"Ah. Dylan, we can't look back. We need to rebuild and replenish those things we hold dear. We've done that with the Commonwealth. Now Clark and Lana will have to do the same thing on Earth. We have to believe that they can. They're young and strong. And just as we have our friends, they have theirs. Maybe one day, this new subculture will move out into space and start another planet. Kandor, perhaps?" the AI pointed out, a smile crossing her face at the last statement.  
  
"That's...?" he asked, recalling the name from the Commonwealth charter. "Our second world in the new Commonwealth and one of the biggest actors in the old one. That Kandor?"  
  
"Indeed. By saving Clark, we have ensured our own future. Not bad for a day's work," the image replied. "Clark will be here any minute."  
  
At that moment, the doors opened allowing Clark to walk in. He was dressed in a special environment suit. "Thanks for coming up with this suit so I could see the view."  
  
"My pleasure," she replied. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Better. Trance wants me back in Medical in a bit, but she wanted me to come here," the farm boy stated. "Hard to believe that was once a world down there...my world. A whole culture died down there and is gone."  
  
"Not gone...just sleeping," Lana pointed out from the doors.  
  
He smiled and walked back across the room. Taking her hand, he led her to the window. "It's something, isn't it?"  
  
"You should try being there live and in person," Lana told him.   
  
Yeah. Too bad it would kill me.  
  
"Dylan, Dr. Kane and Harper have boosted my shields again. There is no radiation getting through. Clark, you can take the suit off," Andromeda indicated.  
  
He slowly removed the helmet and the protective shell. Taking a deep breath, he remarked, "So this is what it's like to be human. Will my powers ever return?"  
  
"As soon as we get back to your galaxy, they'll return. It's the yellow sun and Earth's climate that makes you who you are," the AI reported.  
  
"Even if you didn't have your powers, Clark, I'd love you anyway," Lana declared and kissed him. "I believe in you. Do you believe in me?"  
  
"I do. Those bracelets look nice on you," he agreed, flashing the Kent smile again. "We'll have to formalize all of this stuff at some point."  
  
"Maybe this summer after school lets out? Maybe the Duboises' minister can help us out? Anyhow, we've waited this long. Three months isn't going to hurt us," she pointed out, her eyes glistening into his. "Now, let's go be with our friends."  
  
"In a bit," he requested. "I just want to share this view with you for a while. My view of home...my first home."  
  
"Do you regret coming to Earth?" she asked.  
  
"No way. I wish I could have known my parents longer, but Mom and Dad are the greatest as are our friends. And if I hadn't made it there, we never would have met," he assured her. "It's my home too. I just want to remember where my lineage starts and still lies."  
  
"And from where our new lineage comes?" she asked, rubbing up against him.  
  
"Absolutely," he resolved, looking with her out the window. "Absolutely."  
  
  
  
Chapter 16 [Several hours later]  
  
Dave sat in his quarters, meditating on everything that had happened over the previous four days. _ It's been quite a ride_, he thought. _ At least, Clark's going to be okay._  
  
At that moment, Angie entered the area and flopped down on the bed. "Hi," she greeted tiredly.  
  
"Hey, what's up? Are you getting any better?" he asked, lying down next to her.  
  
"Yeah, I am," she assured him, rolling over and giving him a smile. "I just need some rest and I think you do too."  
  
"There's a plan right there," he agreed, dimming the lights. "Sleep well, Princess."  
  
"I will now," she concurred, drifting off.  
  
****   
  
[Dreamscape-shared between Clark and Lana]  
  
Clark and Lana sat on a blanket in the middle of the billowing grasses. The threatening brooding clouds were gone. In their place, the night sky showed its twinkling stars and the moon brushed the scenery with its gentle glow. One of Jean Sibelius' symphonies could be heard softly wafting, as could the rustling of the nearby oak trees.  
  
"Is this what it's like?" she asked, sipping on a glass of cider.  
  
"Is what like?" he wondered, cutting a piece of sharp cheddar cheese and slicing an apple in quarters. Putting the cheese on a quarter, he handed it to her.  
  
She bit into the snack, allowing her taste buds to savor the cheese's tanginess and the Macintosh's tartness. "Mmmm...that's good. You have excellent taste."  
  
"I'm glad you think so...Dear," he chuckled, flushing slightly.   
  
She smiled and shook her head. "Now I don't have to worry about losing you."  
  
"You never did. And now we have to get Lex and Chloe together," he said reassuringly, kissing her forehead.  
  
"Oh, is that so? I think they've got that taken care of," she giggled. "But I know what you mean. Seriously though, what about that so-called soul mate of yours from the stars?"  
  
"I misread the pictographs. The woman was you, not her. You have no idea how sorry I am about that," he answered, the contrition very clearly in his voice.  
  
She shook her head and put a finger to his lips. "Yes, you hurt me with that. However, that's the past. This is the present and we have the future. Our love is what matters."   
  
He sighed and allowed a tear to drizzle down his cheek. _ What did I do to deserve such a great woman?_ "And it always will. No more doubts, no more secrets, all right?"  
  
"Right," she concurred. "But let's just enjoy the evening, okay?"  
  
"Fine by me," he said, putting his arm around her shoulders and reclining back to enjoy the stars and music.  
  
  
  
Chapter 17 [The next day]  
  
Dylan inspected the read outs from the previous day's hovering in the Great Rao system. The shields held up fine thanks to Harper's and Adam's improvements. The guests were relaxed, which was a good thing, especially in the case of a certain professor. All in all, things looked good.   
  
"We do need to get back to our own business, Dylan," Beka reminded him, entering Command.  
  
_ The respite from Commonwealth politics has been a welcome one, but she's right._ "I think they're ready. I want Trance and Rommie to run another scan on Clark just in case. Once he's clear, then we'll get back to Earth."  
  
"Great," she replied. "Kind of makes you think, doesn't it?"  
  
"What would that be, Beka?" he asked.  
  
"The phoenix syndrome. How things are reborn from the ashes of the old. Our guests are doing that on Earth just as we're doing in the future. Guess you and Clark have a lot in common."  
  
Dylan smiled. "We do indeed. We're the survivors, Beka. We're the ones leading the way to a new reborn order."  
  
"And you're the ones with the friends around you to help pull it off," she cracked good-naturedly. "I hope his friends are as behind him as we are you."  
  
"Knowing David and the others, I wouldn't worry, Beka. No, I think he'll be just fine."  
  
****  
  
[Three hours later]  
  
Beka and Rommie stood at the Command console making the final calculations for the trip back to Earth. Trance had sent word that Clark's last scan showed no trace of the plague in his system. Therefore, it was time to return the guests home.   
  
"How's it looking?" the captain asked.  
  
"We're looking good," the first officer told him, walking over to the slipstream controls. Pressing the overhead buttons, the console moved into place. Then she grasped the sticks. "Hang on. Streaming."  
  
The glowing portal appeared in front of the ship and she streaked into it.  
  
"We're on our way. T-Minus 11 hours 58 minutes until we get to Earth," Rommie indicated.  
  
"Very good. Well, keep an eye on things, Beka. I'll relieve you in about six hours if that's okay," he stated.   
  
"Fine with me," the pilot told him.  
  
He grinned and left them to their affairs. He wanted a quick nap and a meal before he took the controls from her.  
  
****  
  
[Trance's plant area]  
  
Dave walked into the collection of flora. As always, he found it to be relaxing-a place where he could forget about his problems and the larger issues out there. Usually, when onboard the Andromeda, it had served as a solitary "time out". However, Trance had asked him here for some reason. Sweeping the dimly lit area with his senses, he picked up on her aura. "Trance, I'm here."  
  
"Over here," she indicated, popping out from behind a rather larger fern. "Sorry, I was just tending to my friends."  
  
"No problem. I have a couple of them in my office and at home as well," he noted. "So what's on your mind?"  
  
She looked him over, considering the amount of control he had exerted over his personas over the previous four days. _ He would have exploded during our last trip. It must be a part of his evolution._ "I wanted to see how you were faring. You've changed since our last meeting, haven't you?"  
  
"Life's been interesting since then as you already know, I'm sure," he remarked. "My struggle with the darkness has forced certain changes in me. I've slid somewhat, but I'm more powerful because of it."  
  
"I can't say how, but you will evolve again...several times," she prophesized.   
  
"It has and it will again, I know," he agreed. "The Child and I have our own personas-our own identities in addition to the pieces of our personas that we share."  
  
"Shades of gray? That's a change in itself," she wondered.  
  
"Not really. It's a matter of trust between us. I'm sure there will be other trials in addition to this one, but you know my secret to coping with them?"  
  
"Sure," she indicated.  
  
"My friends. You and your crewmates are a godsend, Trance. I appreciate your assistance with Clark," he expressed.  
  
She smiled warmly. "It's our pleasure. We're all friends and we'll help each other no matter what."  
  
"Speaking of evolutions, Trance. You've changed as well," he noted.  
  
"Yes, well...this is the future self to my future self, you might say," she explained. "It's a long story, but this is the improved me."  
  
"Well, I can't say. I liked the old Trance and your current appearance just fine. You're the same being under the surface," he told her.  
  
"Thank you for that," she said appreciatively.   
  
"My pleasure," he replied pleasantly. "I'll say this to Dylan when we part ways, but if you need our help, just ask."  
  
_ With the Magog threat, we may need it._ "I can't speak for the others, but for me, that's a comforting thought. Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome," he responded. "Now let's go join the others."  
  
She nodded and led him out of the area, heading toward the observation area.  
  
  
  
Chapter 18  
  
The Andromeda passed back into regular space behind the Moon, using it as a shield from orbiting satellites. It had been a lengthy trip through the slipstream, but they had returned at least to Earth.  
  
On the observation deck, the returning group congregated around Clark and Lana as they prepared to return to Earth. While their experience opened their eyes and expanded their horizons, it was time to return to the daily routine-such as it was-on Earth.  
  
The Andromeda crew came down to see their friends, both old and new, off. The opportunity to check on another piece of ancient Earth history provided insights for the Commonwealth archives. In addition, the link between the two teenagers would hold great implications for the Commonwealth. All in all, it was a successful venture for the crew.  
  
"So how do we work this?" Beka asked. "How do we get you all back and then return ourselves?"  
  
"First, we need to get everyone back planet side," Rommie theorized. "Then we can get to the next stage."  
  
"Right," Dave concurred, watching the mists form in the corner. "And your ride is here." Seeing his sister appear, he greeted, "Hi, Cybelle."  
  
"Hi, yourself," the priestess greeted with a sarcastic smirk. _ Anyone else would have been fried on the spot for such irreverence._ "Are we ready?"  
  
"Almost," Dylan said before approaching the group. "Be well, everyone. Best wishes in all things. Clark, Lana, you have my sincerest blessings on a prosperous life together. No matter what happens, you are important to us all."  
  
"Thank you, Captain," Lana accepted, blushing slightly.  
  
"Captain, thanks for saving my life," Clark added, shaking his hand. "And for allowing me to discover my roots."  
  
"Not a problem. Always happy to help out," Dylan replied forthrightly.  
  
"And thank you for showing me these facilities," Adam expressed.  
  
"Not a problem, Dr. Kane. Of course, this is all to remain a secret. We wouldn't want to disrupt the time continuum," Rommie pointed out.  
  
"Absolutely," the former geneticist agreed.  
  
"Okay," Deirdre indicated, opening the portal. "Next stop, Sanctuary."  
  
Most of the group took one last look around before ducking through the portal.  
  
Before she followed, Xena turned to Tyr and smirked.  
  
"What?" the Nietzschean asked, the exasperation showing on his face.  
  
The warrior turned to Dylan and requested, "Make sure he stays on his toes, all right?"  
  
"And if I don't?"  
  
Xena arched her brow and smiled wickedly. "Then we'll have to come back so I can kick your ass again! Best to everyone. David, don't keep us waiting too long."  
  
"Fine," the medievalist agreed.  
  
She took one last look around and disappeared into the mists.   
  
The professor surveyed the area. "This is an amazing ship. I know I keep saying that, but, Andromeda, you are amazing."  
  
"Don't worry. I appreciate it. Thank you," Rommie accepted, a proud smile spreading across her face.  
  
Tyr chuckled. "A machine with an ego. Will wonders never cease?"  
  
The avatar glared at him.   
  
Dave shook his head. "You never learn, do you, big man? I think the one with the ego is you. Lucky for you, I was occupied and Xena wanted her shots at you."   
  
The weapons officer approached him until he loomed over the professor. "She's not here now."  
  
"Unfortunately for you," Dave snickered darkly, his eyes changing color. "Back off!"   
  
Trance stared at the two men. Tyr was infamous for picking fights and he had a whale of one on his hands this time. "Tyr, stop this!"  
  
The Nietzschean raised his fist to strike a blow...and found himself flying backwards into the wall.  
  
"You don't want me letting the Child out," the professor snarled, allowing his hands to glow with dark energy. "That was me. The next one's his turn."  
  
"David..." Dylan interceded.  
  
The medievalist shook his head at the Captain before cooling off. "Sorry, Dylan. I take insults to my friends personally."  
  
"Well, I can take care of myself," Rommie informed the visitor. "But the thought is appreciated." She shot Tyr another icy glare.  
  
Tyr shook his head angrily and stalked away.  
  
"Take care with both of your personas," Trance requested. "It's crucial that you stay in control, especially over the next year."  
  
He looked at her curiously, trying to figure out her cryptic meaning. _ Obviously, there's yet another trial coming. If that wasn't enough...sigh.... _ "I will. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to join the others. Dylan, thank you again for helping with Clark. If you ever need help, you know where we are."  
  
"I know, and we will probably call one day," the captain stated. "Especially given your experience fighting Magog."  
  
"Please do," Dave replied, shaking everyone's hand before disappearing into the mists.  
  
Deirdre smiled and waved to them as she vanished as well.  
  
Once everyone else had disappeared, Cybelle turned to Dylan. "Let me know when you're ready to go back."  
  
"Right," Rommie stated. "Go ahead, Cybelle."  
  
The priestess exposed the crystal necklace and chanted something in an ancient Celtic tongue.   
  
In front of the Andromeda, a mammoth energy portal opened in space.  
  
"Go ahead," the priestess advised.  
  
The craft streaked ahead and penetrated the glowing doorway. In the blink of an eye, they had traveled across time and space.  
  
"Andromeda, where are we?" Dylan asked.  
  
"You should be back where you started," the high priestess explained. "We're in your century as well."  
  
"She's right, Dylan," the AI indicated in her image form.  
  
"Thank you for getting us back here," Dylan expressed.  
  
"Thank you for helping us with Clark," Cybelle replied. "All of you. Please accept the thanks of Althanor for your aid. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to be getting back myself. Do take care." Waving her hands, she opened a smaller energy portal ringed by the familiar mists and walked through it before disappearing and allowing the doorway to do the same.  
  
"They are amazing, aren't they?" Beka wondered. "They cross centuries and distance like it's nothing."  
  
"Sometimes, magic can do wonders where science can't and vice-versa," Trance surmised. "They each have a role to play in shaping the universe. Just go with it."  
  
The first officer frowned, not liking to accept what she couldn't control. "Whatever. Dylan, if you need me, I'll be in Command."   
  
Harper smirked. _ At least Earth's still beautiful. Keep the line against the darkness, guys. You're doin' awesome._ "I'll be in Engineering if you need me." With that, he walked away accompanied by Rommie and Trance.  
  
Dylan looked out the window at the vastness of space outside. _ It's amazing what we run into during our travels. Yet we'll hold the line as long as needed because it's what we do for the Commonwealth, for our friends and for ourselves. _  
  
Chapter 19  
  
[New Sanctuary]  
  
Max, Brennan and Shalimar watched as the students trained in the Dojo. One by one, the new mutants cleared their respective hurdles, refining their skills and dealing with situations in the process. Although they all worried about Clark and Lana, the group focused on their studies and tried to make it through the weekend.  
  
I hope everything's all right, the transgenic hoped, looking to the dusk sky and the stars coming into view.  
  
"Hey, it's going to be all right," the feral assured her.  
  
"I hope so," Max replied nervously. "I hate waiting."  
  
_ I know what she's talkin' about._ Shalimar sighed and rubbed her friend's shoulder. _ I wish they could send us some kinda sign._  
  
At that moment, the mists appeared, forming into the doorway. From it, Gabrielle, Eve, the Kents, Lex, Chloe, Byron, Martin, and Emma stepped back into the familiar territory.  
  
"Wow," Jonathan exclaimed. "That does take some getting used to!"  
  
"Emma, where are Adam and the others?" Shalimar inquired.  
  
"They're coming," Emma assured her. "They were saying their good-byes."  
  
Then, Adam and Xena stepped through next.  
  
"It's good to be home," Adam remarked, looking around at Sanctuary. "Although I did enjoy seeing a glimpse of the future as well. The Andromeda is something, isn't it?"  
  
"It's unbelievable all right," Emma agreed, shaking her head.   
  
"Sounds like something out of science fiction from what you're both saying," Shalimar remarked.  
  
"That's about the size of it. It makes me know that we're doing the right things here," the team leader indicated.  
  
Then Clark, Lana, and Dave stepped through last followed by Deirdre.  
  
Once they had all entered, the latter closed the doorway behind them.  
  
"What happened to the Andromeda?" Eve wondered.  
  
Dave looked up at the ceiling and smiled. "I suspect that Cybelle has them on their way back to their own time by now. They're a great bunch of friends. Meantime, how about our dynamic duo here?"  
  
At that moment, it sank in that he was standing there. "Clark! How are you?" Max asked.  
  
"I'm okay now, Max, thanks to our friends up there," the farm boy assured her. "Also, thanks to Lex and Chloe, of course." Then, he hugged Lana's shoulders. "And my...well...what are we exactly?"  
  
"We're engaged, Clark. Well, in your planet's customs, we're married. In my planet's customs, we're engaged," she replied, rubbing up against him.  
  
"It's a long story," Xena added.  
  
"If you say so. I can't wait to hear it. Meantime, let's get your classmates up here," Brennan noted, pressing a button on the console. "Let's see if I can make this thing work. Attention, everyone! Look to my left if you would."  
  
The students stopped their exercises and saw their friend standing there. "Clark!" they chorused and rushed up to mob him.  
  
For a minute, he considered asking them to take it easy, but decided against it. After all, it's nice to have such friends.  
  
****  
  
About fifty feet to the right of the mass celebration, Lex, Chloe and the Kents watched with pleasure.  
  
"It's something, isn't it?" Martha asked.  
  
"That it is," Jonathan agreed. "I'm so glad he's not alone anymore."  
  
"As if he ever was, but I know what you mean," Chloe argued playfully. "Come on, Lex, let's join in!"  
  
He smirked and followed, jumping on the pile along with her.  
  
The two parents observed some more, their eyes watering with happiness over the company their son had found and how much his classmates truly cared about him.  
  
"I told you I'd take care of him," Dave noted.  
  
"You did. And you're doing great things here, David. We're proud of you too," Jonathan replied happily, rubbing his shoulder.  
  
"Thank you for this moment," Martha told the professor. "This is a snapshot we'll never forget."  
  
He grinned and wiped a tear from his eye at the scene. They had bested one more test. Time enough to worry about the future. This victory was sweet and needed to be savored with the best.  
  
  
  
Conclusion  
[Two Days Later]  
  
For most of the day, the university ethics board met in order to discuss the meteor incident. As with most cases of this nature, opinions varied over intent and if the faculty member in question intended to harm the students. Chloe and several of her classmates accounted for what happened on the ridge. Clark apologized for breaching government quarantined boundaries, but stressed that he acted to protect his classmates. In addition, Ranger Sittingwolf, Steve, and Garth filled in still more details about what had happened in the meantime.   
  
Needless to say, the board found against McLanden for his action and terminated his contract.  
  
As the ex-professor stalked out of the room, he snapped at Dave, "I bet you're happy now!"  
  
"No, I'm not. I hope you learned something from this mess," the medievalist stated grimly.  
  
"I'm not finished yet, Dubois," the other declared from the hall. "For you and your freaks, this isn't over!"   
  
Dave shook his head and sighed. _ The world is full of all kinds. Too bad his kind endangers everyone else._  
  
"So...how did we do?" Chloe wondered.  
  
"You did fine, Chloe. Part of being a good reporter is reporting the truth honestly and objectively. You did just that. This isn't a victory for any of us today. It's only a reminder that the world needs more time to accept us as we are. Still, I do have some ideas to make things better."  
  
"Such as?" Clark asked expectantly.  
  
"You'll have to wait and see," Lydia replied, joining them. "Meantime, Dr. Dubois, I will say that the provosts have approved your plan and await your recommendations."  
  
Good. Maybe if we have representatives in each department, monitoring what happens will be easier. "Has the first offer been extended yet?"  
  
"It has," Adam replied, entering the room accompanied by Emma and Max. "After giving it some thought and talking with the team, I've decided to accept the post."  
  
"As?" Lydia asked.  
  
"As an associate professor in the Biology department. After looking at my c. v., they granted me tenure," Adam explained. "I'm actually looking forward to doing this. Maybe we can help the students to understand. I'm also going to teach a class with the Philosophy Department and the School of Medicine on ethics in genetic research."  
  
"Sounds wonderful," Dave grinned and shook his hand. "Welcome aboard, Dr. Kane."  
  
"Thank you, Dr. Dubois, Dr. Coltrane," he replied, accepting his new colleagues' handshakes.  
  
"Shall we get some dinner?" Emma wondered. "I'm sure you all are starved."  
  
"Angie and Francesca are cooking so let's go," Dave urged, leading the others from the room.  
  
****   
  
Meantime, Lana sat in the Student Union with Miranda and Clark's parents. They had just finished the campus tour, leaving Jonathan and Martha very impressed with the facilities and resources available for Clark and them as well. In addition, they had sat in on Dave's World Civilization and Eve's Introduction to Religion courses.  
  
"Okay, what do you think?" Miri wondered.  
  
"I can see we're getting our money's worth with you all coming here," Jonathan remarked, sipping on his coffee. "Between everything here and what Adam has for you all, I'm glad that you all are here."  
  
Martha nodded. "It's great to see you all interacting with everyone and all of the support for Clark especially over what happened last weekend."  
  
"Everyone pulled hard for him, Mrs. Kent," Miri stated. "Uncle Dave and the others should be getting out of the meeting right about now."  
  
"Right," Lana concurred, looking at the bracelet on her right wrist and smiling. Despite everything, it was still sinking in for her. "I guess this is the first dinner for me with you as in-laws, huh?"  
  
Martha hugged her shoulders. "Really, Lana, it's not that much different than every other time we've eaten together. Relax, we don't bite. Do we, Jonathan?"  
  
He shrugged and chuckled warmly. "No. We don't. Don't worry, you know we don't have a problem with this arrangement-as long as it's what you and Clark want."  
  
"We do, Mr. Kent. We both do," she concurred.  
  
"Well then, that answers the question. Shall we?" he responded, standing up and helping his wife to her feet.   
  
With that, they walked over to the Administration Building where Dave and the others waited for them.  
  
"How did it go?" Lana asked, giving Clark a kiss.  
  
"Dr. McLanden's not going to be teaching here anymore," Chloe stated. "I don't know what we're going to do with the rest of that class."  
  
"The Astronomy department will have someone pick it up," Dave indicated. "Meantime, we added a new faculty member as well."  
  
"And that is?" Martha asked.  
  
"That would be me," Adam informed them enthusiastically. "I'll be teaching Biology and Genetics. By the way, Jonathan and Martha, if I may so, you should be proud of these students. They've made great progress in all regards since their arrival last fall."  
  
"Thank you, Adam," Jonathan accepted. "It's great to hear that and it's nice to know that you are helping Dave to keep an eye on the kids."  
  
"Dad!" Clark protested.  
  
"It's okay, Clark," the medievalist chuckled. "We know you're adults, but we're still concerned about your safety. I just want to make sure that something like this doesn't happen again."  
  
The farm boy shrugged. _ No matter what happens, I'm still their little boy._ "Anyhow, Dr. Alvaro's lasagna is awesome. Wait'll you taste it!"  
  
His parents and the others followed him across the mall area toward the library and the parking garage on the other side.  
  
Dave smiled. _ It's great to see him feel so much at home and for his folks to accept this place._  
  
Adam rubbed his shoulder. "You've done well today."  
  
"You mean we've done well, Adam. I couldn't manage this without your help and that of the team. I really appreciate it. If this weekend taught me anything, it's that our friends make all of the difference in the world," Dave commented.  
  
The geneticist smiled and arched his brow at his colleague's musings. "Remember too that it takes a great friend to have great friends. You do your share and more, Dave. As such, we're happy to repay the favor every once in a while. Now, let's join them before Franscesca's cooking gets cold."  
  
The medievalist nodded as they started across the grassy area themselves. Despite everything that had happened, friendship had once again been the crucial factor. After all, no matter where and when, one's friends make life living and for the Duboises, that was a well-documented fact indeed.  
  
  
THE END (for now)  
  
(Well, so ends another installment! I've got a few other things cooking right now so stay tuned! Meantime, check out the Dubois Chronicles at http://dante6.fanspace.com/dubois/dubois.html and for the first announcement of items for these pages; join the "DuboisChronicleUpdates" group on YahooGroups. Thanks for reading and for your interest! Happy Holidays!)  
  



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